Spaceship757 has officially completed its mission. For the first time in her stellar 30-year career, global superstar and Hip-Hop/R&B pioneer Missy Elliott took a voyage to 29 arenas across North America for her debut headline tour, OUT OF THIS WORLD — The Missy Elliott Experience. 
 
Landing onstage in a virtual spacecraft, Elliott invited sold out crowds to join her on an immersive intergalactic expedition across four different dimensions of her hit-making catalog. 

The history-making tour experience included:

• 4,000 hours spent executing Elliott’s creative vision – from choreography to content – spanning animators, multiple moving video screens equipped with real-time tracking technology, a flying stage that levitated above the audience, four orbital video pods, sonic booms (high-powered fog that resembles cryo), and state-of-the-art lighting design – with over 1,003 light fixtures in total.

• Conceptualized by Elliott, June Ambrose designed 240 costumes for Elliott and her 25 backup dancers, with 1.2 MILLION hand-placed rhinestones and custom sublimated graffiti fabric with hand-painted details. 

Produced by Live Nation in association with Mona Scott-Young, Elliott’s longtime manager and CEO of Monami Entertainment, the space-age spectacular was supported by Hip-Hop legend Busta Rhymes, Multi-Platinum selling superstar Ciara, and mega producer Timbaland. Further ushering in the next generation of talent, both Rhymes and Timbaland introduced their respective sons – with Rhymes welcoming Trillian to appear at select shows and Timbaland's Demetrius serving as his DJ for the full run. Likewise, surprise guests popped up throughout including Lil’ Kim, Monica, Trina, and Tweet with Elliott; Ding Dong, LL COOL J, O.T. Genasis, Rah Digga, RJMrLA, Ty Dolla $ign, and 310babii with Rhymes; and BossMan Dlow, Chamillionaire, Lady London, and Lola Brooke with Ciara.

With a first-of-its-kind The New York Times digital storyboard, plus VOGUE, Variety, Vanity Fair, The New Yorker, USA TODAY, WWD, PEOPLE, and Us Weekly features (and a DOGUE cover for Elliott’s fur baby Fendi Dior’s first tour), as well as a full episode on Nightline with ABC News’ Megan Ryte – watch the interview here: PART ONE, PART TWO, and PART THREE, or stream on Hulu – the critically acclaimed OUT OF THIS WORLD — The Missy Elliott Experience wowed media coast-to-coast.

On the road celebrations included: 

• In Cleveland, OH, on August 14, Greg Harris, President & CEO, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, recognized Elliott for her 2023 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction (the first female Hip-Hop artist to be inducted), and she in turn presented him with a replica of the headpiece worn in her iconic “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)” music video.

• In Washington, D.C., on August 8, she was presented with a plaque by former NASA astronaut Alvin Drew commemorating “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)” becoming the first Hip-Hop song transmitted to space after the lyrics, alongside an inspirational message from Elliott, was beamed to Venus via NASA’s Deep Space Network at 10:05 a.m. PDT on July 12.

• In her hometown of Hampton, VA, on August 2, Congressman Bobby Scott, United States Congress, VA 3rd Congressional District, awarded her with a Congressional Certificate Of Community Service from the United States Congress; Hampton Mayor Donnie Tuck declared August 2 as “Out of This World Tour Day” in the City of Hampton; and Delegate Don Scott, Speaker of the House of Delegates, presented her with a resolution for her first arena tour.

FULL PERFORMANCE PHOTOS FROM ALL SHOWS TO DOWNLOAD HERE.

ABOUT MISSY ELLIOTT
One of the most significant female artists in the annals of contemporary music, Missy Elliott made history once again this year with the OUT OF THIS WORLD — The Missy Elliott Experience – her first-ever headline tour, accompanied by her longtime collaborators Busta Rhymes, Ciara and special guest Timbaland. To kick off the inevitably milestone tour run, Elliott launched the first-ever hip-hop song into space, sending “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)” all the way to Venus through NASA’s Deep Space Network. Hailed by Rolling Stone as “the Met Gala of Outer Space,” the tour garnered a myriad of media support, earning recognition by the likes of The New York Times in a first-of-its-kind interactive article, The New Yorker, ABC’s Nightline, Women’s Wear Daily, and more. 

An avant-garde solo superstar, pioneering songwriter-producer, and across-the-board cultural icon, the four-time GRAMMY® Award winning Elliott has attained unprecedented success, including 22 GRAMMY® nominations spanning three decades, eight MTV Video Music Awards, and sales now exceeding 30M in the U.S. alone. All of Missy’s six studio albums have each been RIAA platinum certified or better, marking her among the only female rappers ever to achieve that remarkable accomplishment. Among her countless triumphs, 2023 saw Elliott named as the first female hip-hop artist to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, rightly declaring her “a true path breaker in a male-dominated genre.”

Elliott’s most recent work, 2019’s acclaimed EP, ICONOLOGY, drew instant praise upon its surprise release, with USA Today declaring it “a master class at the school of Missy Misdemeanor Elliott.” That same year saw the iconic star making history as the first female hip-hop artist ever to receive the MTV Video Music Awards’ prestigious Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award. 2019 also saw her break new ground as the first female hip-hop artist and third-ever rapper to be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. In addition, Elliott became the first female rapper to receive an honorary Doctor of Music degree from Berklee College of Music, celebrating her lasting contributions to music and popular culture. Further accolades followed in 2021, with Elliott named among the twelve inaugural inductees for the new Atlanta landmark, The Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame, and later honored with her own star on the world famous Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 2022, Elliott’s hometown of Portsmouth, VA celebrated its favorite daughter by presenting her with the Key to the City and renaming a portion of McLean Street to “Missy Elliott Boulevard” and declaring October 17 as Missy Elliott Day. What’s more, Virginia’s Norfolk State University awarded Elliott with the Presidential Commencement Medallion and an honorary degree at their fall 2022 commencement ceremony, acknowledging her “outstanding professional achievements and extraordinary contributions to public service.”

In addition to her historic induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2023, the Recording Academy’s Black Music Collective presented Elliott with its Recording Academy Global Impact Award, honoring her personal and professional achievements in the music industry. The 2023 GRAMMY® Awards saw Elliott among the superstars celebrating the 50th anniversary of hip-hop, joining such icons as LL Cool J, Ice-T, Method Man, Busta Rhymes, and Salt-N-Pepa for a landmark performance honoring the genre’s diverse history. Additional 2023 tributes include the Black Music Honors’ “Music Innovator Icon” award as well as a special ESSENCE cover story celebrating her headline performance at the 2023 ESSENCE Festival of Culture in New Orleans. Indeed, Missy Elliott deserves all the flowers and then some. During her 2024 tour stop at Virginia’s Hampton Coliseum, Elliott was honored as a hometown hero. Not only was she bestowed a Congressional Certificate Of Community Service, but Hampton’s mayor, Donnie Tuck, also declared August 2 as “Out of This World Tour Day.” Ultimately, with OUT OF THIS WORLD — The Missy Elliott Experience having hit arenas across North America – and new music always on the horizon – Missy Elliott continues to stand tall over pop culture as a true creative architect and revolutionary artist, her prophetic sound and vision as groundbreaking and influential as ever before.