The song was written by Mai, Joelle James, Dijon "Mustard" McFarlane and Larrance Dopson of 1500 or Nothin', and produced by the latter two.

"Boo'd Up" rose in popularity on social media as well as in nightclubs over the next few months,[7] notably in the Bay Area and later in Dallas, Texas.

After Mai served as the opening act on Kehlani's tour, her music reached a bigger audience and the song grew on radio airplay in the spring of 2018.

[12] Rolling Stone listed "Boo'd Up" among the 100 best R&B songs of the 21st century, commenting that "it has a piano refrain reminiscent of Stevie Wonder’s “These Three Words.” But it also sounds wholly contemporary.

"[13] An accompanying music video for the song, directed by Nick Walker, premiered via Mai's Vevo channel on 26 April 2018.

American rappers T-Pain, Fetty Wap, Plies, Fabolous, Dave East, Vado, and Young Dro released remixes to the song.

[50] The remix version of the song features newly added verses and lyrics by both Quavo and Minaj and marks the second collaboration between the two.