Karma 3

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	82/100[3]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[4]
Clash	8/10[5]
HipHopDX	3.7/5[6]
NME	[7]

Karma 3 was met with a positive reception. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 82 based on four reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[3]

AllMusic's Neil Z. Yeung said, "the album is very much substance over style, showcasing East's deft wordplay and storytelling talents without too many flashy distractions. On that end, Karma 3's production is robust and straightforward, evoking another time and place with old-school samples and head-nodding beats".[4] Eero Holi of Clash said, "The tough guy act only gets you so far, though. And that is why 'Karma 3' really comes alive when East exposes his character's soft underbelly. ... Memories tainted by regret and guilt – the flip side of nostalgia – resonate in Motown-style acoustic instrumentation and chunky Golden Era beats combined with a supreme cast of vocalists".[5] Will Lavin of NME said, "A charged effort with dynamic results, 'Karma 3' may not be as flawless a spectacle as 'Survival', but it's not all that far off. And it's definitely the best entry in the 'Karma' series. East remains consistent, unapologetically flying the flag for New York hip-hop".[7] Eric Diep of HipHopDX said, "While Karma 3 isn't the show-stopping follow-up to Survival, East is still going to outwork any MC, dropping album after album until he's good and ready to hang up the mic".[6]