16. RuPaul
RuPaul Andre Charles, best known by his drag name RuPaul, is an American actor, model and singer/songwriter who rose to fame in the 1990s appearing on numerous television programs, films and albums. As a pioneer for drag performance artists, RuPaul opened minds and generated discussions on the taboo subject of crossdressing and transexuality. RuPaul got his start in the early 90’s working in the Atlanta and New York club scenes. In 1993 RuPaul recorded the dance/house hit “Supermodel (You Better Work)” which amidst the age of Nirvana and Smashing Pumpkins was an unexpected success on MTV. The song peaked at No. 2 on Billboard’s U.S. dance charts and his follow up singles “Back to My Roots” and “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart,” a duet with Elton John, went on to rule the dance and singles charts. In 1996 RuPaul hosted his own show on VH1 called The RuPaul Show where he interviewed celebrities and musical acts. He has since released 7 studio albums, most recently the 2008 album Champion that features the anthems “Cover Girl” and “Jealous of My Boogie” featured on his LOGO reality competition show RuPaul’s Drag Race.
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