in "the rolling stone album guide" (2004), jon caramanica later wrote, ""life & times of s. carter" took ["vol. 2"s] combination of style and substance to its apotheosis. in addition to maintaining a strong lyrical presence, jay also showcased his talents as a master of flow, changing cadences and rhyme patterns with impressive regularity and flexibility ... nearly every track on this album was sonically unique, and jay rode each one with aplomb and skill". allmusic's john bush wrote in a retrospective review that a couple of overwrought productions ("dope man", "things that u do") keep it from being among jay-z's best albums.