It was released by XL Recordings in May 2003 after a test pressing had made rounds on UK pirate radio in 2002.

[1] The single became Dizzee Rascal's first top forty hit, peaking at number twenty-nine and spending three weeks inside the top seventy-five, and was acclaimed by critics, who consider it one of the most important songs in the development of Grime.

[1] I Luv U was critically lauded upon release, with Drowned In Sound referring to Dizzee as "[t]he saviour of UK music" in their review of the single.

The Wire described "I Luv U"'s impact on grime as "analogous to "Anarchy in the U.K." for punk rock.

[1] XL Recordings owner Richard Russell wrote in his 2020 book Liberation Through Hearing that the first time he heard "I Luv U", he felt "Dizzee was creating what could clearly be an entirely new day for British music.