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It’s safe to say Steve Aoki has taken a pretty wild ride through life. The California native undoubtedly reaped the benefits that come with being the son of the man who founded the Benihana restaurant empire, but it would be foolish to suggest he hasn’t earned the enviable lifestyle that comes with being one of the most famous DJs on the planet thanks to the time and effort he exerted en route to becoming a prolific producer and one of the biggest names on the EDM scene.
It’s pretty hard to not be fairly jealous of a man who has racked up an estimated net worth of $120 million by getting paid to make music, travel the world, and chuck sheet cakes at the fans who comprise the massive crowds at the events and festivals he routinely headlines.
At this point, there’s not much the 45-year-old hasn’t managed to achieve. However, his already formidable résumé is about to get even more impressive courtesy of the out-of-this-world gift he recently received from a Japanese billionaire.
In 2018, Yusaku Maezawa used an undisclosed portion of the $1.7 billion he made as the founder of one of Japan’s biggest online clothing retailers to secure his spot on the 2023 SpaceX Starship trip that is set to be the first private commercial space flight to carry passengers around the Moon.
The shuttle that will transport Maezawa to the lunar body has enough room to carry 12 people, and in 2021, he announced his plans to give eight applicants the chance to accompany him on the six-day mission after launching what was dubbed the “dearMoon Project” in his quest to assemble an octet of “talented individuals” from various walks of life around the globe.
On Friday, Maezawa officially revealed the lucky people who will be listed alongside him on the passenger manifest, which includes multiple photographers, videographers, and visual artists as well as YouTuber Tim Dodd, K-pop star T.O.P., and—last but not least—Aoki.
In an interview, Aoki said he initially applied for dearMoon to fulfill his childhood dream of going to outer space. He was apparently the first person Maezawa tapped for the trip, as the video also features a clip of his understandably elated reaction after learning he’d been selected.
Must be nice.