The album received praise for bringing a humorous and lighthearted perspective to the often violent and profane themes of typical gangsta rap.

"Fantastic Voyage," a hit from the early 1980s, returned to the charts after Coolio released a song of the same name from this album.

Songs "Smokin Stix," "Can-o-Corn," and "Sticky Fingers" first appeared in the film Poetic Justice.

The Los Angeles Times concluded that It Takes a Thief "may be one of the best hard-core Compton rap records since the first N.W.A.

"[5] USA Today wrote that the album "mixes hard-core themes with tongue-in-cheek attitude and funky, unflinching rhythms.