BBC Homepage
  • Skip to content
  • Accessibility Help
  • Your account
  • Notifications
  • Home
  • News
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • iPlayer
  • Sounds
  • Bitesize
  • CBBC
  • CBeebies
  • Food
  • More menu
More menu
Search BBC
  • Home
  • News
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • iPlayer
  • Sounds
  • Bitesize
  • CBBC
  • CBeebies
  • Food
Close menu
BBC News
Menu
  • Home
  • InDepth
  • Israel-Gaza war
  • War in Ukraine
  • Climate
  • UK
  • World
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Culture
More
  • Tech
  • Science
  • Health
  • Family & Education
  • In Pictures
  • Newsbeat
  • BBC Verify
  • Disability
  • BBC Trending

Rapper B.o.B. raising funds to check if Earth is flat

  • Published
    26 September 2017
Share page
About sharing
Earth and moon seen from the International Space StationImage source, NASA
By Chris Bell
BBC UGC and Social News

Spoiler: The Earth is not flat.

But 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.

B.o.B., real name Bobby Ray Simmons Jr, performing in the Radio 1Xtra live lounge

Seeking to raise $200,000 (£150,000) on the GoFundMe crowd-funding website, external, 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.

  • BBC Bitesize: How do we know the Earth is spherical?

This X post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser.View original content on X
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
Skip X post by B.o.B

Allow X content?

This article contains content provided by X. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read X’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
End of X post by B.o.B

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.

This X post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser.View original content on X
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
Skip X post 2 by Neil deGrasse Tyson

Allow X content?

This article contains content provided by X. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read X’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
End of X post 2 by Neil deGrasse Tyson

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

You might also like

  • Professor praised for bringing his mother to class

  • Harassed women are Facebook tagging this man for help

  • How do you pronounce 'meme'?

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.

By UGC and Social News team

Around the BBC

  • B.o.B - New Songs, Playlists & Latest News - BBC Music

Top stories

  • Live. 

    Trump threatens to sue Murdoch and denies 'smoking gun' in Epstein controversy

    • 12125 viewing12k viewing
  • Boy, 10, dead as nine in hospital after coach crash

    • Published
      1 hour ago
  • Amber warning as thunderstorms set to bring flash floods

    • Published
      1 hour ago

More to explore

  • 'There were bodies everywhere': Druze residents describe 'bloodbath' in Syrian city Suweida

    A health worker and other men walk in a hospital courtyard, past the bodies of victims of the recent clashes in Syria's southern city of Suweida on 17 July 2025
  • Why 2025 is a scarily good year for horror movies

    A still from I Know What You Did Last Summer shows actress Madelyn Cline with her hands clasped to her face, mid-scream. She's inside a house at night with large bay windows behind her.
  • How history-chasing Italy can threaten England at Euro 2025

    • Attribution
      Sport
    Italy celebrate after reaching the semi-finals of Euro 2025 with victory over Norway
  • Kill Russian soldiers, win points: Is Ukraine's new drone scheme gamifying war?

    A Ukrainian soldier wears a headset to pilot a drone
  • Israel levelling thousands of Gaza civilian buildings in controlled demolitions

    A promotional image for a BBC Verify story with branding. A soldier with his head turned away from the camera can be seen in the middle. On either side of him are images of destroyed buildings.
  • Relentless immigration raids are changing California's way of life

    Two protesters in dust masks film federal troops in gas masks in a field of crops in Southern California. One protester flies a Mexican flag
  • Weekly quiz: Why is Kew Garden's Palm House closing?

    Interior view of the Palm House at Kew.
  • How bad is Afghan data breach for MI6 and SAS?

    Two poppy wreaths lie in front of a stone memorial that has Afghanistan written on it.
  • Summer Essential: Your family’s guide to the summer, delivered to your inbox every Tuesday

    concentric circles ranging from orange to yellow to represent the sun, with a blue sky background
loading elsewhere stories

Most read

  1. 1

    Amber warning as thunderstorms set to bring flash floods

  2. 2

    Airport accused 'didn't know' he hit female PCs

  3. 3

    Boy, 10, dead as nine in hospital after coach crash

  4. 4

    Lawyers for nurse in trans case criticise 'irresponsible' health board

  5. 5

    More than 30 poisoned after suspected fake Botox

  6. 6

    Man dies after car crashes onto railway tracks

  7. 7

    Royal swan count sees numbers resurface after dip

  8. 8

    UK's asylum hotel bill down 30%, government says

  9. 9

    Mum jailed for using children to smuggle cocaine

  10. 10

    Police drop investigation into Kneecap's Glastonbury performance

BBC News Services

  • On your mobile
  • On smart speakers
  • Get news alerts
  • Contact BBC News

Best of the BBC

  • Martin Scarsden faces a new mystery

    • Attribution
      iPlayer
    Scrublands S2
  • Sinister events in an old Spanish town

    • Attribution
      Sounds
    Uncanny: Summer Specials
  • Ghosts US returns for series 4

    • Attribution
      iPlayer
    Ghosts US S4
  • What does it take to build the perfect athlete?

    • Attribution
      Sounds
    The Infinite Monkey Cage
  • Home
  • News
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • iPlayer
  • Sounds
  • Bitesize
  • CBBC
  • CBeebies
  • Food
  • Terms of Use
  • About the BBC
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookies
  • Accessibility Help
  • Parental Guidance
  • Contact the BBC
  • Make an editorial complaint
  • BBC emails for you

Copyright © 2025 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.