How long does it take to reach Venus? For Missy Elliott’s “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly),” it took nearly 14 minutes to travel the 158 million miles to the planet of love, NASA announced Monday. The agency transmitted the song via radio antennas near Barstow, California, typically used for tracking spacecraft and sending commands and data.
“My song ‘The Rain’ has officially been transmitted all the way to Venus, the planet that symbolizes strength, beauty, and empowerment,” Elliott wrote on X. “The sky is not the limit, it’s just the beginning.”
This is only the second time NASA has transmitted a song into space, the first being The Beatles’ “Across the Universe” to the North Star, Polaris, in 2008. Sending Elliott’s song highlights her status as one of Earth’s premier artists. If we’re going to serenade the cosmos, who better than Missy Elliott rapping over Ann Peebles’ 1973 hit “I Can’t Stand the Rain”?
Elliott often incorporates space themes in her work, a nod NASA acknowledged in their statement. “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,” said Brittany Brown, a director in NASA’s communications office.
Though rare, NASA has sent music to space before, most notably aboard Voyager 1 and 2 in 1977, which included a gold-plated copper phonograph record with “sounds and images selected to portray the diversity of life and culture on Earth.”
Elliott has also been receiving recognition here on Earth. In 2019, she became the first female hip-hop artist inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and in 2023, the first female rapper inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. She even has a street named after her in Virginia.
Her 2024 North American tour, “Out of This World,” features her in chrome and studded costumes, echoing the futuristic aesthetics of ‘80s space movies. The music video for “Sock It 2 Me,” from her 1997 debut album, takes place in space, where Elliott raps while soaring through the galaxy.
NASA’s transmission of a hip-hop song to Venus is a first for the agency. But for Missy Elliott, you could say she’s already been to space.
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