Much of the musical landscape on the album consisted of background noises such as a child crying, frogs and Hawaiian strings. The jazz, R&B and rock samples that were used were from artists that most hip-hop producers of the time ignored, or who were unfamiliar with. For the known artists that were sampled, Q-Tip used breaks that were unique for those artists, which turned out to be highly influential for hip-hop production. Ian McCann from "NME" stated "They break beats from anywhere they want ... and deliver them in an easy, totally sympathetic setting." "Entertainment Weekly"’s Greg Sandow said the album "has a casual sound, something like laid-back jazz".