Some songs need a while to sink into the public consciousness. And others simply demand the attention of listeners with their boldness. There’s no doubt that “Word Up!”, the 1986 smash by the band Cameo, belongs in the latter category.
The song sent the long-running R&B band into the Top 10 upon its release. And it’s still a guaranteed party-starter some 40 years down the line.
Cameo’s Role
Cameo had already been plying their trade for a dozen years before they recorded their biggest hit. The band originated as the New York City Players in 1974. Since the label that signed them already had the Ohio Players on their roster, a name change was in order.
They chose Cameo after seeing a cigarette brand with the same name. And for the first ten years or so of their career, they included up to 14 members in the lineup. They were a fixture on the R&B and dance charts during that stretch. But the closest they came to pop success was the slow jam “She’s Strange”, which just missed the Top 40 in 1984.
By that time, Cameo started to streamline their approach. In 1986, they’d narrowed it down to three members. Larry Blackmon Jr., the longtime leader of the group, was joined by Tomi Jenkins and Nathan Leftenant. Blackmon Jr. and Jenkins wrote “Word Up!”, the song that was their ticket to pop stardom.
What’s the “Word”?
While Cameo once relied on a more organic form of funk, Jenkins realized which way the musical winds were blowing in 1986. “Word Up!” relied heavily on synthesizers and programmed beats, creating a metallic funk sound embellished by horns and slinky keyboard riffs.
As for the song title, it came from urban slang that implied a declaration of truth. Blackmon Jr. altered his vocal tone on his rap-singing part to emulate Sly Stone. The song immediately soared and peaked at No. 6 in 1986.
After the follow-up single “Candy” made it to No. 21, Cameo never again recorded a Top 40 pop hit. Meanwhile, “Word Up!” earned new life when a sample was used in Mariah Carey’s smash 2001 single “Loverboy”.
Behind the Lyrics of “Word Up!”
Blackmon makes clear his target audience with his clarion call at the beginning of “Word Up!”: “Yo, pretty ladies around the world.” From there, he beckons all the faithful. “Tell yo brother, yo sister, and yo momma too,” he implores. “’Cause we’re about to throw down/And you’ll know just what to do.”
In the second verse, Blackmon, in keeping with rap tradition, calls out his opponents. He labels the “sucker DJs” as nothing more than fools. And then he gets a little bit cosmic with his concerns: “We don’t have the time for psychological romance.”
Bounding about with his signature codpiece over his pants, Larry Blackmon Jr. struck an indelible figure in the “Word Up!” video, which only added to the song’s popularity. If you want to see someone who grew up in the 80s pop out of their seats in an instant, throwing this funky classic on the playlist will certainly get it done.
Photo by Vinnie Zuffante/Getty Images
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