NASA shows first hip-hop song in space

JAKARTA: NASA carried out an unusual action on Friday, July 12. The American space agency managed to send its first hip hop song to Venus using a huge antenna of the Deep Space Network (DSC). The song sent by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) is The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly) by Elliott. JPL transmitted Elliott’s song to various spacecraft exploring the planet Venus chosen by Elliott. 254 million kilometers from Earth, the song was successfully transmitted at the speed of light and took only 14 minutes. The DSN’s parabolic antenna chosen to broadcast the song is Deep Space Station 13 (DSS-13). Elliott, a rapper with a music career spanning over 30 years, said he was proud of the success of his song. In addition, The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly) was the first hip hop song sent into space using NASA’s communications means.

The songwriter also said he deliberately chose Venus because it symbolizes power, beauty and empowerment. “I’m very humbled by the opportunity to share my artwork and messages with the universe!” Brittany Brown, director of the Division of Digital and NASA Technology, said her party has pushed new boundaries by sending artwork into space. Brown revealed that they were the first parties to pitch the idea to Elliott. NASA’s JPL deliberately chose Elliott because of the rapper’s good track record in music. “(He can) combine space-centric and visual futuristic storytelling in his music videos.”

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