Rapper B.o.B. Raising Funds to Check if Earth is Flat

US rapper B.o.B. is crowd-funding the launch of satellites to see if he can get some evidence to the contrary.

The rapper, whose real name is Bobby Ray Simmons Jr, has been a vocal proponent of the Flat Earth theory – the claim the Earth is, in fact, a disc and not spherical.

Some proponents of the Flat Earth theory claim NASA employees guard the edge of the world to prevent people falling off.

Seeking to raise $200,000 (£150,000) on the GoFundMe crowd-funding website, B.o.B refers to himself as “Flat Earth Bob”. At the time of writing he had raised a little over $650, but the campaign was trending on the GoFundMe site.

‘Show me the curve’

“I’m starting this GoFundMe because I would like to send one, if not multiple satellites, as far into space as I can, or into orbit as I can, to find the curve,” he said in a video on the page.

“I’m looking for the curve,” he added.

The curve which B.o.B refers to is a recurring theme in Flat Earthers’ conspiracy theories. Adherents believe that, were the Earth actually round, then the curvature of the Earth would be more visible to the naked eye.

It is not the first time that the rapper has voiced his doubts. In 2016 he became embroiled in a Twitter spat with renowned astrophysicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson.

“The cities in the background are approximately 16 miles apart,” he said, tweeting a picture of the skyline on the horizon

“Where is the curve? Please explain this”.

Neil DeGrasse Tyson was on hand to do just that.

“Earth’s curve indeed blocks 150 foot of Manhattan,” he wrote. “But most buildings in Midtown are waaay taller than that”.

Some of those who have donated to B.o.B.’s campaign have expressed support for the rapper.

“When/if you do make sure you let me know,” one person who donated $20 wrote. “I’ve been trying to tell folks that there is no curve, therefore the Earth is not a globe”.

Others were more sceptical. “Here’s $5 to prove yourself wrong,” another donor commented.

Source: BBC