Born and raised in San Diego, California, RuPaul later studied performing arts in Atlanta, Georgia. He settled in New York City, where he became a popular fixture on the LGBTQ+ nightclub scene. He achieved international fame as a drag queen with the release of his debut single, "Supermodel (You Better Work)", which was included on his debut studio album Supermodel of the World (1993). He became a spokesperson for MAC Cosmetics in 1994, raising money for the Mac AIDS Fund and becoming the first drag queen to land a major cosmetics campaign. He later received his own talk show on VH1 called The RuPaul Show, which he hosted for over 100 episodes while co-hosting the morning radio show on WKTU with Michelle Visage.
RuPaul's Drag Race was created in 2009 and has gone on to produce fourteen seasons in the United States. The show has also seen success internationally, with several international variants of the show being made, such as RuPaul's Drag Race UK and Canada's Drag Race. This has also inspired several spin-offs of the main show, including RuPaul's Drag U, RuPaul's Drag Race: All Stars, and RuPaul's Secret Celebrity Drag Race. He is also featured as a host on other reality television series such as Skin Wars, Good Work, and Gay for Play Game Show Starring RuPaul.
RuPaul has made appearances in films such as Crooklyn (1994), The Brady Bunch Movie (1995), To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar (1995), But I'm a Cheerleader (1999), television shows such as Girlboss (2017), Broad City (2017), and Grace and Frankie (2019). He later created and starred in his own Netflix original television series AJ and the Queen (2020). In addition, he has also published three books: Lettin' It All Hang Out (1995), Workin' It! RuPaul's Guide to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Style (2010), and GuRu (2018).
RuPaul is considered the most commercially successful drag queen in the United States. For his work on RuPaul's Drag Race, he has received 12 Primetime Emmy Awards, becoming the most-awarded person of color in the history of the Primetime Emmys. Outside of film and television, he also continues to write and record music; he has released fourteen studio albums as of 2022, and received a Tony Award for Best Musical as a producer for the musical A Strange Loop.
Read U Wrote U
RuPaul Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Listen up
I'm the one, oh! Oh! Oh!
Hey, girls, my name's Alaska
I got a tiny little question to ask ya
Who's that bitch that's on the top?
Oh, wait, that's me! Hey, Porkchop!
You're born naked, the rest is drag
But your face just needs a paper bag
Gimme a challenge and I'll crush you all
Changin' the game like my name's RuPaul
Line 'em up, front to back
I'm sendin' bitches home like a heart attack
Mess with me and you'll wind up in a casket
I'm Dorothy, you're Toto, get in the basket!
I'll read you down beneath the ground
Could you hold my purse while I snatch the crown?
Legacy, remember my name
'Cause you're gonna see me hangin' in the hall of fame!
Wrote you, told you, now I now I read you, read you
Wrote you, told you, now I now I read you, read you, Oh!
Wrote you, told you, now I now I read you, read you
Wrote you, told you, now I now I read you
You've been read
I'm the one, one, one, oh!
I'm I'm the one, one, one, one
I'm the one, one, one, oh!
I'm I'm the one, oh!
Detox comin' at you with a slow verse
I'ma speed it up, I had to shut it down first
Killin' bitches so hard need a pink hearse
I ain't sayin' I'm the best, but I ain't the worst
You see me shinin' I'm tryin' to take this primetime
I see you whinin' and cryin' take that to Lifetime
So epic that it's poetic, I spit it on a dime
On Reddit, you look pathetic with that nursery rhyme
You can't stand me? I don't blame you
If Ru's number 1, I'm number 2
You disagree? Well, that's on you
Eyes on the chalkboard, I'll spell it out for you
D to the E to the T to the O to the Hold it! X
Naomi Campbelling the hoes to the crown, next!
Wrote you, told you, now I now I read you, read you
Wrote you, told you, now I now I read you, read you, oh!
Wrote you, told you, now I now I read you, read you
Wrote you, told you, now I now I read you
You've been read
I'm the one, one, one, oh!
I'm I'm the one, one, one, one
I'm the one, one, one, oh!
I'm I'm the one, oh!
Yekaterina Petrovna Zamolodchikova
But your dad just calls me Katya
I'm the bright red scare with the long blonde hair
Always keep 'em coming back for more
You're a basic ass hoe and it's your time to go
So bitch let me show you the door
Cause it's me whose getting laid and I'm always getting paid
The only high class Russian whore
I'm a scorching hot mess in a skin tight dress
That's a rash, not a herpes sore
Lenin in the streets, Dostoyevsky in the sheets
Baby, are you ready for this Cold War?
Katya Zamolodchikova
Wrote you, told you, now I now I read you, read you
Wrote you, told you, now I now I read you, read you, oh!
Wrote you, told you, now I now I read you, read you
Wrote you, told you, now I now I read you
You've been read
I'm the one, one, one, oh!
I'm I'm the one, one, one, one
I'm the one, one, one, oh!
I'm I'm the one, oh!
I'm Roxxxy Andrews and I'm here to make it clear
I know you love me, baby, that's why you brought me here
Was a bitch on Season 5, I'm gonna make it right
Give me a sewing challenge and I'll give you what you like
I'm full of tricks, baby, just like on Halloween
A room full of monsters and it makes me wanna scream
I have to get this right so you don't waste your time
Not like my comedy, I'm killing on this rhyme
I'm gonna show you what I can do
You're going crazy and seeing two
It's not my fault, you can't blame my game
All these other hoes, but they're all the same
Wrote you, told you, now I now I read you, read you
Wrote you, told you, now I now I read you, read you, oh!
Wrote you, told you, now I now I read you, read you
Wrote you, told you, now I now I read you
You've been read
I'm the one, one, one, oh!
I'm I'm the one, one, one, one
I'm the one, one, one, oh!
I'm I'm the one, oh!
Wrote you, wrote you, told you, now I
Wrote you, wrote you, told you, now I read you, read you
"Read U Wrote U" is a song performed by RuPaul and featuring Alaska Thunderfuck, Detox, Katya, and Roxxxy Andrews. It was released on September 23, 2016 as a part of RuPaul's album "Butch Queen". The song is a rap and it served as the final challenge of Season 2 of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars. The lyrics contain four verses, one performed by each of the featured queens, where they introduce themselves and boast about their skills, wit, and beauty.
Alaska starts the first verse by asking who is the queen on the top and realizes it's her. She then states that everyone is born naked and everything else is drag. She then boasts about her skills and says she will change the game like RuPaul. Detox comes in with a slow verse that she speeds up, talking about being epic and poetic. She then spells out her name and says she is Naomi Campbell-ing the hoes to the crown. Katya introduces herself in Russian and talks about being a Russian whore, as well as being Dostoyevsky in the sheets. Roxxxy Andrews talks about being a bitch on Season 5 and being a monster that makes people want to scream, she is also willing to make it right this time.
The chorus contains the phrase "wrote you, told you, now I read you" repeated three times, followed by "you've been read". The phrase implies that the queens are expressing their own perspective and point of view.
The song has become a fan favorite and has been performed by the featured queens at various drag shows and events. The performance of this song on Season 2 of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars was praised by critics as being one of the best lip sync performances in the show's history.
Line by Line Meaning
Lookie here
Hey, pay attention
Listen up
Listen carefully
I'm the one, oh! Oh! Oh!
I'm the queen, the best of the best
Hey, girls, my name's Alaska
Hey, everyone, I'm Alaska
I got a tiny little question to ask ya
I have a question to ask you
Who's that bitch that's on the top?
Who's the best and on the top?
Oh, wait, that's me! Hey, Porkchop!
Oh, it's me! Hello, Porkchop!
You're born naked, the rest is drag
Everyone is born naked and everything else is a performance
But your face just needs a paper bag
Your face is ugly and needs to be covered
Gimme a challenge and I'll crush you all
Give me anything and I will win
Changin' the game like my name's RuPaul
I'm shaking things up, like RuPaul
Line 'em up, front to back
Put everyone in order, front to back
I'm sendin' bitches home like a heart attack
I'm eliminating people like a heart attack
Mess with me and you'll wind up in a casket
If you mess with me, you'll end up in a coffin
I'm Dorothy, you're Toto, get in the basket!
I'm the leader, you follow me in the basket
I'll read you down beneath the ground
I'll insult you until you're buried in the ground
Could you hold my purse while I snatch the crown?
Can you hold my purse while I win the competition?
Legacy, remember my name
Remember my name for the future
'Cause you're gonna see me hangin' in the hall of fame!
You'll see my picture in the Hall of Fame for winners
Wrote you, told you, now I now I read you, read you
I wrote to you, I told you, now I'm going to insult you
Wrote you, told you, now I now I read you, read you, Oh!
I wrote to you, I told you, now I'm going to insult you, oh!
You've been read
You've been insulted
I'm the one, one, one, oh!
I'm the queen, the best of the best
I'm I'm the one, one, one, one
I'm the queen, the best of the best
I'm I'm the one, oh!
I'm the queen, the best of the best
Detox comin' at you with a slow verse
I'm Detox and I'm starting slow
I'ma speed it up, I had to shut it down first
Now I'm speeding up, I had to take a break
Killin' bitches so hard need a pink hearse
I'm eliminating people so hard, they need a pink hearse
I ain't sayin' I'm the best, but I ain't the worst
I'm not saying I'm perfect, but I'm not the worst either
You see me shinin' I'm tryin' to take this primetime
I'm shining and trying to be the best
I see you whinin' and cryin' take that to Lifetime
I see you complaining, take it to the TV channel, Lifetime
So epic that it's poetic, I spit it on a dime
My lines are so good, they're like poetry
On Reddit, you look pathetic with that nursery rhyme
On Reddit, your insults are weak
You can't stand me? I don't blame you
You don't like me? I understand
If Ru's number 1, I'm number 2
If Ru is the best, I'm second best
You disagree? Well, that's on you
If you disagree, it's your problem
Eyes on the chalkboard, I'll spell it out for you
Pay attention, I'll explain it clearly
D to the E to the T to the O to the Hold it! X
My name is Detox
Naomi Campbelling the hoes to the crown, next!
I'm going to win, just like Naomi Campbell
Yekaterina Petrovna Zamolodchikova
My name is Yekaterina Petrovna Zamolodchikova
But your dad just calls me Katya
Your father knows me as Katya
I'm the bright red scare with the long blonde hair
I'm the blonde who stands out
Always keep 'em coming back for more
Everyone wants to see me more
You're a basic ass hoe and it's your time to go
You're basic and it's time for you to leave
So bitch let me show you the door
Let me show you the way out
Cause it's me whose getting laid and I'm always getting paid
Because I'm the one who's having sex and making money
The only high class Russian whore
I'm the only fancy Russian prostitute
I'm a scorching hot mess in a skin tight dress
I'm beautiful, but a mess inside
That's a rash, not a herpes sore
That's not a sexually transmitted infection, it's a rash
Lenin in the streets, Dostoyevsky in the sheets
I'm a political leader in public, but passionate in private
Baby, are you ready for this Cold War?
Are you ready for a battle?
I'm Roxxxy Andrews and I'm here to make it clear
I'm Roxxxy Andrews and I'm here to win
I know you love me, baby, that's why you brought me here
You love me and that's why you invited me
Was a bitch on Season 5, I'm gonna make it right
I was mean before, but now I'm going to be better
Give me a sewing challenge and I'll give you what you like
Give me a challenge and I'll impress you
I'm full of tricks, baby, just like on Halloween
I have a lot of secrets, like on Halloween
A room full of monsters and it makes me wanna scream
I'm scared of the competition
I have to get this right so you don't waste your time
I have to do well so you don't get bored
Not like my comedy, I'm killing on this rhyme
I'm doing better with insults than with jokes
I'm gonna show you what I can do
I'm going to impress you
You're going crazy and seeing two
You're losing your mind
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@sophielee1130
Be honest babes, this is not your first time coming back for Katya’s verse
@hayleywilliamscroc
You got me😂
@marinvameds
Yep!
@mr.felixisagirlbossking9983
OBVIOUSLY
@mariahfl2199
@Hayley Williams' croc ⁰
@WeAreTheChildren07
of course not, i watch it every day. literally.
@santipapa6986
Katya's verse passes the Bechtel's test of drag queen verses, she doesn't mention getting the crown, she didn't even mentions RuPaul
@Listening_Books12345
THIS is why her verse is iconic I think: it's entirely about her drag persona, so it transcends her being on the competition while also giving more depth to the character she's created. The Ru callouts felt very ass-kissy to me, even in the other verses that I enjoyed.
@josefelipe2812
@@Grace-it3bv I really like Detox for the same reason. It's so honest to her drag persona too. Alaska has charisma. Roxxxy is Andrews.
@triciahingpit
@@josefelipe2812not Roxxxy is Andrews 💀