3 Years, 5 Months and 2 Days in the Life Of... was released to widespread critical acclaim and was later voted as the best album of the year in ''
The Village Voice's''
Pazz & Jop critics' poll. ''
Entertainment Weekly's'' James Bernard gave the album an "A+" and praised it as a "fresh-sounding debut", referring to the group as "the anti-
gangsta" and "perhaps rap's most self-reflective act."
Greg Kot of the
Chicago Tribune wrote that the group "displays unusual worldliness, wisdom and awareness on its debut, immediately establishing itself as a major new voice in hip-hop", noting
Speech's social themes and rejection of "macho boasting and gangster posing". though he would later revise his rating to single out "Tennessee" as a "choice cut". Retrospectively, Steve Huey of
AllMusic wrote that the rise of gangsta rap abruptly ended what seemed to be a "shining new era in
alternative rap" heralded by
3 Years and that the album, while not "quite as revolutionary as it first seemed", was nonetheless "a fine record that often crosses the line into excellence", further crediting it as "a major influence on a new breed of alternative
Southern hip-hop, including
Goodie Mob,
Outkast, and
Nappy Roots". The album was included in the book
1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. == Track listing ==