"Heard 'Em Say" received critical acclaim upon release. Ann Powers, writing for "Los Angeles Times" called the single a "rapturous hit." "Time" music critic Josh Tyrangiel lists "Heard 'Em Say" as one of the three best tracks on "Late Registration". He characterized it as an "atmospheric ballad" which demonstrates "the stealthy power of West's storytelling." "Billboard" writer Marco Cibola said the song was representative of the musical growth on West's second album, opining, "The keys twinkle a bit brighter on "Heard 'Em Say" than they do on anything from "Dropout"." Likewise, "Substream Magazine" stated that the soulful undertones of "Heard 'Em Say" gave way to a different type of inspiration. "HipHopDX"'s Ural Garret remarked, "Depending on how one views hip hop, there's a Kanye West album that speaks directly to a specific socio-economic ideology." He continued encapsulating the song's verses of as "an in-depth introspective look into everyday hood aspirations" and credited West's songwriting for feeling grounded.