If you're going to go "bottom up": You probably should know about operating systems in general, yes. Linux has been heavily refined and optimized over the years, so having some basic framework to think through will be very worth it.
If you're going to go "top down": Take the plunge and install Linux on your home computer. Put in the time to get it working exactly at you wanted. Then read The Linux Programming Interface, which covers userland in excellent detail. Now you're ready to pierce the veil and finally start understanding the kernel.
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If you're going to go "bottom up": You probably should know about operating systems in general, yes. Linux has been heavily refined and optimized over the years, so having some basic framework to think through will be very worth it.
I recommend Operating Systems: Three Easy Pieces for self study: https://pages.cs.wisc.edu/~remzi/OSTEP/
If you're going to go "top down": Take the plunge and install Linux on your home computer. Put in the time to get it working exactly at you wanted. Then read The Linux Programming Interface, which covers userland in excellent detail. Now you're ready to pierce the veil and finally start understanding the kernel.
Top down - don't try to understand how something works before you understand what it does.