Upon its release, the album was met with mixed reviews by music enthusiasts and critics. Osareme Edeoghon, a writer for Music in Africa, described the album as "not quite satisfactory" and further went on to state that: "His rhyming is average; the album yields only a few memorable lines, [...] YAGI isn't a bad album. And were it not for the events that preceded its release, it might be said to be satisfactory".[5] Joey Akan, a respected columnist of Pulse Nigeria gave the album 3 out of 5 stars, stating that: "Lil Kesh’s first effort is a win for him, and for the street life. [...] “Y.A.G.I” stands tall as one of the most relatable works from rappers.[6] Oluwatobi Ibironke of tooXclusive rated the album 3.2 out of 5 stating that: "The bottom line point is, YAGI could have been a great album with lucid critic silencing qualities, but no. It turned out an average album with a lot of flavour for club acceptance".,[7]
