chris bosman of consequence of sound gave the album four out of five stars, saying "gibbs’ eps and mixtapes tend to run long, and "esgn" – at 19 tracks — is no exception. the length is a weakness. the bleakness of gibbs’ world, even when it's going well, can leave you gasping. the shock is somewhat lost in the number of tracks. in the scheme of the album, it's a minor quibble. "esgn" digs new paths through rap's hallowed grounds. it may not be the crossover success that those who ride for gibbs would love to see, but it doesn’t diminish this excellent record." jonah bromwich of pitchfork media gave the album a 6.9 out of 10, saying "on “hundred thousand", gibbs supplies a perfect—and, true to form, concise—review of "esgn" himself. “ain’t trying to be the man, just trying to maintain.” callin an album "more of the same" sounds dismissive but its something that fans are often happy to receive and there are those for whom 20 tracks of gibbs rapping nearly perfectly will be enough. but for everyone else, "esgn" comes as an unwelcome reversion to the mean. it's the sound of a rapper more than happy to maintain his narrow lane after being burned by the industry, one who's lost the ambition to leave his comfort zone, at least for the time being."