[12] In July 2017, Jim DeRogatis contributed an article to BuzzFeed News detailing legal investigations from three families regarding their daughters' alleged kidnappings after they established relationships with Kelly.

[16] The organization published a demand on The Root for RCA Records, Ticketmaster, Spotify, Apple Music, and the Greensboro Coliseum Complex to end their business relationships with Kelly.

[17] Spotify removed the music of Kelly, XXXTentacion, and Tay-K from their playlists after introducing a "hate content and hateful conduct" policy in May 2018,[18][19] but rescinded the policy in June 2018 after people in the music industry, including Kendrick Lamar's and Top Dawg Entertainment's representatives,[20][21] accused the company of censorship.

[8] Kelly reveals that he lost his virginity in his childhood when he was raped by an older female family member,[6][35] elaborating on the disclosures from his 2012 autobiography, Soulacoaster: The Diary of Me.

[37] Kelly denies accusations of domestic violence, involvement in a "sex cult", and pedophilia in his lyrics,[4] dismissing them as matters of opinion.

[36] Kelly does not admit guilt regarding the 2008 acquittal of his sex tape allegations, but maintains that he has been "falsely accused"[37] and sings that his lawyer advised him to "don't say noth'".

[11][41][42] Kelly finishes the song by telling the audience to "stay the fuck out of my business",[31] and inviting his birthplace of Chicago to use his image as inspiration for city youth.

[6][43] Several reviewers characterized "I Admit" as an act of trolling, since the name of the song overstates the magnitude of the admissions contained within the lyrics.

[47] Writing for The Daily Beast, Stereo Williams described the song as "20 minutes of defensive rambling and R. Kelly nailing himself to a cross".

[45] In a review for The Atlantic, Hannah Giorgis compared the song's structure to Kelly's rap opera Trapped in the Closet, and remarked, "The specter of harmful actions is softened by the harmonies of the lullaby."

[43] In Rolling Stone, Michael Arcenaux lambasted Kelly for attempting to "invoke his own trauma to excuse the grief he is alleged to have caused in so many women and girls".

[36] In interviews with Variety and Billboard, DeRogatis denied that his reporting of Kelly's allegations had been a significant factor in his own career growth.

[65] The song was poorly received by other artists; Talib Kweli remarked that Kelly's "lack of self awareness is atrocious"[66] and Questlove tweeted, "#IAdmit I want my 19 mins back".

[69] Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network spokeswoman Jodi Omear criticized the song's lyrics and stated, "Laws aren't opinions".

[70][71] Kelly was convicted of nine criminal counts, including racketeering (involving sexual exploitation of a child, kidnapping, bribery, and sex trafficking) and violations of the Mann Act, on September 28, 2021.

A source close to the album also stated that the bootleg was released by the Los Angeles-based label Real Talk Entertainment and was distributed by Ingrooves.