Reviews for this album were mixed. Rating the album "L" (in its five-level clothing size rating system from "S" to "XXL"), XXL praised "Dope Boy Magic" as having "endless head-turning punch lines...with different sequential number combinations" but panned other tracks as "go[ing] in cliché circles" with "[c]orny brand-name drops."[7] In a three-star (out of five) review, David Jeffries of AllMusic described the album as having an "identity crisis" due to tracks that he found "less convincing" than the "safe and tested surroundings" of "It's Goin' Down" and "I Know You See It."[1] The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, based in Yung Joc's hometown, graded the album "C+", calling lead single "It's Goin' Down" "simple...[but] infectious" while finding a lack of "a new, exciting reserve of wordplay and delivery."[3]RapReviews found other tracks such as "Don't Play Wit It" to be better choices as a lead single.[6]
For HipHopDX, Brian Sims rated New Joc City two out of five ("aluminum") due to what he called "reused lines" and a "dull mood plaguing most of the album."[4] About "It's Goin' Down", Sims called the song "monotonous".[4] Tom Breihan of Pitchfork rated the album 3.2 out of 10 points, criticizing the album as having "no visible identity or purpose" and "bargain-basement minimal snap stuff."[5]
^ abMurray, Sonia (June 6, 2006). "Yung Joc: "New Joc City"". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from the original on June 15, 2006. Retrieved June 22, 2018.
^ abBreihan, Tom (June 26, 2006). "Yung Joc: New Joc City". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on July 2, 2006. Retrieved July 15, 2018.
^ abJuon, Steve "Flash" (June 13, 2006). "Yung Joc: New Joc City". RapReviews.com. Archived from the original on October 18, 2006. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
^ abBarone, Matt (June 2, 2006). "Yung Joc: New Joc City". XXL. Archived from the original on September 10, 2006. Retrieved July 14, 2018.