Missy Elliott makes NASA history with the first hip-hop song ever transmitted into space

Missy Elliott’s lyrics have made it into space!

According to a press release, the lyrics come from Elliott’s The song “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)” was transmitted to Venus via NASA’s DSN (Deep Space Network) over a distance of 254 million kilometers. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California transmitted the lyrics at 10:05 a.m. PDT on Friday, July 12.

“The radio frequency signal, transmitted at the speed of light, took nearly 14 minutes to reach the planet,” the press release said. “The transmission was made via the 34-meter (112-foot) wide dish antenna of Deep Space Station 13 (DSS-13), located at DSN’s Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex near Barstow, California. Coincidentally, DSS-13 is also nicknamed Venus.”

The rapper also acknowledged the importance of Venus as it is her favorite planet.

“I chose Venus because it symbolizes strength, beauty and empowerment and I am so honored to have the opportunity to share my art and message with the universe,” Elliot expressed in the press release.

Elliot’s presence in space is an ode to her futuristic approach to music. Brittany Brown, NASA’s director of digital communications, was the one who suggested the possibility of a space trip to Elliot.

“Both space exploration and Missy Elliott’s art have been about pushing boundaries,” Brown said in the press release. “Missy has experience incorporating space-centric storytelling and futuristic imagery in her music videos, so the opportunity to collaborate on something out of the ordinary is truly fitting.”

So far, NASA has only done this for one other song, the Beatles’ “Across the Universe.” Elliot is still making history because ““The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)” is the first hip-hop song to be transmitted into space.

“YOOO, this is crazy! We just left #Heavenly with @NASA and sent the FIRST hip hop song into space via the Deep Space Network,” she wrote on X. “My song ‘The Rain’ has been officially transmitted to Venus, the planet that symbolizes strength, beauty and empowerment. The sky is not the limit, it is just the beginning.”