“I Wanna Sex You Up” is a groundbreaking 1991 track by Oklahoma City quartet Color Me Badd that served as a defining crossover smash for the New Jack Swing and hip-hop soul genres. Featured on the New Jack City soundtrack, the song is built upon a sultry, slow-grooving beat that geniusly samples Slick Rick and La Di Da Di, paired with smooth, late-80s digital synthesizers. The production expertly fuses a raw, street-oriented hip-hop rhythm with the polished, radio-friendly sensibilities of pop music.

Lyrically, the song is an explicit, unapologetic celebration of physical intimacy, attraction, and romantic desire. The group shines through their intricate, four-part doo-wop-influenced vocal harmonies, trading silky-smooth verses and soaring ad-libs that soften the track’s bold, provocative themes. This unique combination of raw hip-hop beats, explicit romantic pleading, and flawless vocal harmonization turned the song into a massive multi-platinum success that defined the sexy aesthetic of early-90s R&B pop.