Missy Elliott’s 1997 hit “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)” has become the first rap song transmitted into space. On July 12, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California sent the song to Venus, Elliott’s favorite planet, via the Deep Space Network.
Missy Elliott expressed her amazement in a statement via NASA: “I still can’t believe I’m going out of this world with NASA through the Deep Space Network when ‘The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)’ becomes the first ever Hip-Hop song to transmit to space! I chose Venus because it symbolizes strength, beauty, and empowerment, and I am so humbled to have the opportunity to share my art and my message with the universe!”
Elliott also shared her excitement on Instagram, stating, “YOOO this is crazy! We just went #OutOfThisWorld with @nasa and sent the FIRST hip hop song into space through the Deep Space Network. My song ‘The Rain’ has officially been transmitted all the way to Venus, the planet that symbolizes strength, beauty and empowerment. The sky is not the limit, it’s just the beginning.”
The Vision Behind the Transmission of Missy Elliott’s “The Rain”
Brittany Brown, a director at NASA and the visionary behind the idea, explained the synergy between space exploration and Elliott’s art: “Both space exploration and Missy Elliott’s art have been about pushing boundaries. Missy has a track record of infusing space-centric storytelling and futuristic visuals in her music videos, so the opportunity to collaborate on something out of this world is truly fitting.”
Elliott’s career is filled with “firsts.” She is the first female hip-hop artist inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. She is also on her first headlining Out Of This World Tour with Busta Rhymes, Timbaland, and Ciara. “This is an incredible time in my life as I am experiencing so many milestone ‘firsts,’” Elliott stated in a press release. “Being the FIRST female Hip-Hop artist to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and now going out on my FIRST headline tour — fans have been asking me to tour forever but I wanted to wait until I felt the time was right. I knew if I was ever going to do it, I had to do it big, and I had to do it with family!”
“The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)” follows the Beatles’ “Across the Universe” as one of the few songs NASA has beamed into space.