Photo: DFree & Featureflash Photo Agency / Shutterstock
Is 'Baby Pluto' part of our new reality?
By Izzy Casey — Written on Jul 26, 2021
A wise rapper once said, "I’m just doing me, and to me, that’s what got me this far."
And that wise rapper was none other than Lil Uzi Vert (in his song "Doin' the Most"), who is not only the first human known to have had a diamond inplanted in his forehead, but is also rumored to soon become the first person on Earth to buy a planet of his own.
On July 22, 2021, Canadian musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer Grimes re-tweeted an image of a giant gas exoplanet.
"Apparently @LILUZIVERT owns this planet — just a heads up," she captioned a photo of the exoplanet known today as WASP-127b.
Then, Lil Uzi retweeted Grimes' retweet, seeming to confirm the major real estate news.
"I tried 2 surprise everyone," he wrote, "still working on it."
Is it true that Lil Uzi Vert is the first person to buy a planet?
The rumor has now gone viral, and at least according to Grimes, Lil Uzi Vert is (almost) the proud owner of the planet soon to be formerly known as WASP-127b.
Grimes' retweeted the retweeted retweet, tweeting, "Documentation almost complete for @LILUZIVERT to legally claim WASP-127b - this is huge! First human to legally own a planet."
Let's pause to remember that time, mentioned briefly above, when Lil Uzi Vert paid $24 million to have a natural pink diamond implanted in his forehead so he wouldn't lose it (and then got it removed because it wouldn't stop bleeding...).
And then there was that time Lil Uzi and Grimes made a pact via social media to get brain chips embedded into their, well, brains, so they could have "the knowledge of the gods."
It seems fair to assume that if anyone could broker a deal with extraterrestrial beings (assuming aliens must currently own the planet if no human owns one yet), Grimes — the woman with a tattoo of alien scars covering her back — would be the one.
But... is it even possible for a human being to own a planet?
According to the United Nation's 1967 Outer Space Treaty, all nations and citizens — including famous rappers — are forbidden from claiming territory in outer space.
Oh, wait.
Did you already know the UN has an Office for Outer Space Affairs, and that said office signed something called the Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies over 50 years ago?
Well, now you do.
Specifically, the treaty states that "the exploration and use of outer space shall be carried out for the benefit and in the interests of all countries and shall be the province of all mankind; outer space shall be free for exploration and use by all States; outer space is not subject to national appropriation by claim of sovereignty, by means of use or occupation, or by any other means."
“If someone sold him a planet or he thinks he owns this planet in the normal sense of the word, it’s simply not true,” Frans Von der Dunk, a space law professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln told Business Insider. “It’s fraud.”
In Lil Uzi's defense, it was Grimes who made the "official" claims. All Lil Uzi has said is that he is "still working on it."
It's also worth noting that WASP-127b is listed in NASA's exoplanet catalog.
So now you know NASA has one of those, too.
How much does a planet cost?
Again, the UN says no price may be set.
And NASA'S catalog, which seems to be more of an inventory than a mail order type thing, does not include any mention of either pricing or value.
What — and where — is WASP-127b?
According to NASA, WASP-127b is "a gas giant exoplanet that orbits a G-type star." It has a mass they say equals 0.1647 Jupiters and a radius of 1.311 times Jupiter.
The description also notes that its discovery was announced in 2016.
Not that it was discovered then, mind you. That's just when it was announced.
What is Neuralink and why did Lil Uzi Vert mention it in his tweet?
Neuralink is the neurotechnology company behind the brain chips Lil Uzi Vert and Grimes have previously discussed. It was founded by Grimes' partner, Elon Musk,
The couple notably named their son, X Æ A-Xii.
But when in the context of naming things, that’s so old news.
What will Lil Uzi Vert's planet be named?
"New name for MY planet?" Lil Uzi tweeted, and as expected, the internet exploded with suggestions.
"Pinto," RAP, folando tweeted.
"Corn," someone else suggested.
"Baby pluto,” yet another tweeted back at Lil Uzi, adding, “that’s the only right answer.”
What is Baby Pluto?
If you're asking this question, you're not a true Lil Uzi Vert fan.
“Yes, I’m the real Baby Pluto,” raps Lil Uzi Vert in his hit song “Baby Pluto," which was featured on his album ”Eternal Atake."
Baby Pluto is also the name of Lil Uzi’s claymation alter ego.
Perhaps, all this hubbub about Lil Uzi owning a planet is just a strategic way to promote his collaboration with Future, titled "Pluto x Baby Pluto."
That theory doesn't make much sense, though, as the album dropped on November 17, 2020, and it’s not like these two sensations need extra exposure.
Bottom line: Just because Grimes looks like a space ballerina, that doesn't mean she has any authority over who gets to buy a planet.
We'll just have to wait and see who has more pull, Grimes or the UN.
At the very least, Baby Pluto has taken another step forward toward making a name for itself here on Earth.
Izzy Casey is a writer who covers pop culture for YourTango. She received her MFA in Creative Writing from the Iowa Writers' Workshop. Her work has been published in The Iowa Review, BOAAT, Gulf Coast, Black Warrior Review, The Columbia Review, and New York Tyrant.