Boom! Watch Neil deGrasse Tyson Drop Mic on B.o.B's Flat-Earth Theory (Video)

Neil deGrasse Tyson About to Drop Mic on B.o.B.
Neil deGrasse Tyson appeared on Comedy Central's "The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore" on Jan. 27, 2016, and dropped the mic on rapper B.o.B., a flat-Earth theorist. (Image credit: Comedy Central)

The bizarre rap battle between astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson and hip-hop artist B.o.B over the shape of the Earth now has a mic-drop moment.

On Sunday and Monday (Jan. 24 and Jan. 25), B.o.B — whose real name is Bobby Ray Simmons Jr. —posted a number of photos on Twitter that showed flat horizons, claiming the images are evidence that the Earth is flat.

Tyson responded via Twitter, gently pointing out the absurdity of this viewpoint. Then, on Monday evening, B.o.B released a "diss track" calling out the scientist, who shortly thereafter joined the rap battle by tweeting a link to a new song by a rapper proclaiming that the Earth is, quite obviously, spherical. (This second rapper's name, confusingly, happens to be Tyson).

And then, on Wednesday night (Jan. 27), Neil deGrasse Tyson took things to another level. He appeared on Comedy Central's "The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore" to take B.o.B to task for spreading misinformation and conspiracy theories.

"There's a growing anti-intellectual strain in this country that may be the beginning of the end of our informed democracy," Tyson, the head of the American Museum of Natural History's Hayden Planetarium in New York City, said on the show.

"Discovery and exploration got us out of the caves, and each generation benefits from what previous generations have learned," he added. "Isaac Newton, my man, said, 'If I have seen farther than others, it's by standing on the shoulders of giants.' Can I get an amen? So that's right, B.o.B — when you stand on the shoulders of those who came before, you might just see far enough to realize the Earth isn't f---ing flat."

Tyson paused for a beat, and then added, "And, by the way? This is called gravity!" Cue the mic drop. Boom.

You can watch the 4.5-minute segment on Comedy Central's website here: http://www.cc.com/video-clips/rca4i7/the-nightly-show-with-larry-wilmore-neil-degrasse-tyson-slams-flat-earth-theorist-b-o-b

Follow Mike Wall on Twitter @michaeldwall and Google+. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook or Google+. Originally published on Space.com.

Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: community@space.com.

Mike Wall
Senior Space Writer

Michael Wall is a Senior Space Writer with Space.com and joined the team in 2010. He primarily covers exoplanets, spaceflight and military space, but has been known to dabble in the space art beat. His book about the search for alien life, "Out There," was published on Nov. 13, 2018. Before becoming a science writer, Michael worked as a herpetologist and wildlife biologist. He has a Ph.D. in evolutionary biology from the University of Sydney, Australia, a bachelor's degree from the University of Arizona, and a graduate certificate in science writing from the University of California, Santa Cruz. To find out what his latest project is, you can follow Michael on Twitter.