[4] The song does not utilize rhyming and beats unlike Lil B's previous works in hip hop genre, opting for a guitar-based sound reminiscent of the style of indie rock acts such as Real Estate and Best Coast.

[7] The song generally received mixed to positive reviews from critics and was stylistically compared to Lil Wayne's Rebirth album and Kid Cudi's WZRD project.

"[2] Similarly, Fact magazine wrote: "Especially compared to Rebirth's horrid approximation of nu-metal, "California Boy" does quite a good job of capturing Lil B’s infectious earnestness.

"[9] Max Bell of LA Weekly panned the song, noting that "even his early advocate, Cocaine Blunt's Andrew Noz, dismissed the track.

It features Lil B greeting fans at University of California, Berkeley, hanging out with a girl and performing the song with a backing band.