"H.Y.B." received generally positive reviews from music critics. Robin Murray of
Clash remarked that Central Cee's "showstealing appearance on 'H.Y.B.' is a new high water mark for the West London talent, a sign of his blossoming reputation in North America." Paul A. Thompson of
Pitchfork described the song as "an exceedingly rare thing, a subtle integration of
drill's wobble into a less industrial sound palette." Reviewing
Might Delete Later for
HotNewHipHop, Aron A. wrote that the tracks "H.Y.B" and "Stealth Mode" are "prime examples of Cole's ability to find inspiration from the new generation, even outside of the U.S. Bas, who appears on both tracks, pulls J Cole into a hedonistic lifestyle on both tracks that extends the themes of songs like 'Passport Bros.' Central Cee's inclusion on 'H.Y.B' is another heavyweight co-sign for the Brit." Dakota West Foss of
Sputnikmusic was critical of the song and stated it shows
Drake's influence on J. Cole in a negative manner, writing it "finds Cole borrowing Aubrey's penchant of culture vulturing to briefly pretend that he's Bri'ish, roight with a bonafide drill song. He says the quiet part out loud when he says 'I keep forgetting I'm J Cole.' Bas and Central Cee make an appearance to lend credibility but I can't tell you if that worked or not because I am frankly too awestruck by Jermaine delivering a strong contender for worst bar of all time: A-B-C-D-E-F-G-H-I-J-K-M-N-O-P/that's little me in the classroom askin', "what's L?" Candidly, I have no idea what to say about that." ==Charts==