[21] Lyrically, "Can't Tell Me Nothing" serves as West's reflection on his fame and as a result of this, he hovers between insecure and confrontational while marked by bitter regret as well as self-aware defiance.

[18] West begins the song by expounding his conflicted feelings regarding wealth and desire, describing a compulsion to spend that overwhelms any and all other objectives in life.

[22] This is tied by West into his perceived overall inability to keep himself together even as he grows into an increasingly prominent figure in the public eye with lyrics like, "I feel the pressure, under more scrutiny / And what do I do?

"[32] Dave Heaton of PopMatters described the song as a "powerful single," while he commented that it is the only track on Graduation which deals with reservations about the album's "major theme" of fame and wealth "in any substantial way.

Club called the song a "terrific hyper-soul single" that "tempers" the enthusiasm of West "with the haunting realization that for someone who's hit the top, there's nowhere to go but down, and the public's love has a tricky way of curdling into resentment.

"[16] Writing for NME, Louis Pattison labeled the song "pretty special," describing it as "a rare sort of track that brings little but chest-pumped arrogance and shameless cash-flashing to the table.

"[35] Jesal 'Jay Soul' Padania of RapReviews viewed "Can't Tell Me Nothing" as "brilliant" and pointed out that the beat, verses and chorus are "all classic stuff.

[56] "Can't Tell Me Nothing" was nominated for Track of the Year at the 2007 BET Hip Hop Awards, ultimately losing to "Party Like a Rockstar" by Shop Boyz.

[59] In another B-roll shot, a girl wearing a fly away burka is shown, which was compared to the clothing worn in the 1998 music video for American singer Madonna's single "Frozen".

"[59][62] Entertainment Weekly's Chris Schonberger opined that the music video "offers a rather insightful takeon Kanye's [sic] controversial persona" and said he "is removed from the vices that threaten his yearning for spirituality" when wandering the desert, as well as noting the clip's "epic quality" due to the scenes shot from above.

"[63] An alternate music video for "Can't Tell Me Nothing" was directed by American actor Michael Blieden, who shot it in NYC after receiving an email from comedian Zach Galifianakis that told him to fly there for the filming.

[82] In December 2015, "Can't Tell Me Nothing" was certified gold by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) for shipments of 35,000 copies in Australia.

[83] On June 1, 2007, West made a surprise appearance at DJ Gomez Warren's set in Los Angeles to play "Can't Tell Me Nothing".

[84] West performed the song as part of his set at a concert of the Live Earth event on July 7, accompanied by a string section which included female members that wore exotic face paint.

[87] West performed a medley during his in-studio appearance for MTV's Total Request Live on August 10, 2007, which consisted of the song and fellow Graduation single "Stronger".

[88] On September 11 of that year, West transitioned from a snippet of the album's track "Champion" into a performance of "Can't Tell Me Nothing" when appearing on BET's 106 & Park.

[89] West performed the song to open the 2007 BET Hip Hop Awards, surrounded by black-clad dancers who moved around similarly to ballerinas.

[90] At the launch party for the new T-Mobile Sidekick LX in Los Angeles' Griffith Park on October 17, 2007, West made a surprise appearance that included him performing the song.

[91] During his surprise appearance at a Kid Sister concert in NYC's Museum of Natural History on January 25, 2008, West delivered a performance of the song.

[94] West and Young Jeezy performed "Can't Tell Me Nothing" together at the Philips Arena in Atlanta for the 13th annual Hot 107.9 Birthday Bash concert on June 13, 2008.

[95] During the first concert of West's conceptual Glow in the Dark Tour, an LCD screen seated behind him displayed a fiery explosion that ignited for the song's "oh" vocals while he performed.

[97] Dressed in an all red outfit, West performed "Can't Tell Me Nothing" during his set at Z100's the Jingle Ball concert in Madison Square Garden on December 12, 2008.

[102] As part of West and his gospel group the Sunday Service Choir's tribute to deceased basketball player Kobe Bryant at the Super Bowl LIV in 2020, they performed the song.

[103] West and the Sunday Service Choir performed a gospel version of "Can't Tell Me Nothing" at the Credit Union 1 Arena in Chicago on February 16, 2020.

[107] It is played alongside a scene that sees the wolfpack driving to Las Vegas for the film's bachelor party, with the line "Wait 'til I get my money right" being part of the portion of the song which is featured.

[108] On August 16, 2018, Kanye's wife Kim Kardashian shared a video of her playing the song to their son Saint West, who recognized it as being rapped by his father.

[110] Pimp C of American hip hop duo UGK had originally been slated to appear on the remix, though his verse was ultimately removed due to him dissing Young Jeezy in it.

[29][113][114][115] Another remix was released on August 30, 2007, with guest appearances from fellow rappers Lil Wayne and Busta Rhymes alongside Young Jeezy.

[17][119] During Billboard's instalment of Mashup Mondays for August 8, 2011, alternative rock band Taking Back Sunday performed an acoustic cover of the song.

[120] On November 26, 2014, recorder and early woodwinds player Carlos Serrano shared a mashup of "Can't Tell Me Nothing" with English singer Sam Smith's single "I'm Not the Only One" (2014) to his SoundCloud page.