"Word Up" is a saying that was popular in New York and other urban areas in the US that acted as an affirmation of what was said, kind of a hipper "you bet." Cameo developed a character around the saying and wrote the lyrics about what he would say. They called the character "Vicious" and had him take out his frustrations on rappers who delve into psychodrama when they should be creating music you can dance to: "Give us music, we can that, we need to dance. We don't need that type of psychological romance."
Cameo was a popular funk band in the '70s and '80s. This hit fused their funk background with elements of rap, giving them a big hit.
Cameo leader Larry Blackmon got the idea for the guttural vocal from Sly Stone, who is one of his heroes.
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