While discussing the album's overall style, Latifah said she moved away from hardcore hip hop to experiment with other music genres and have more creative control over her work.
Three singles – "Fly Girl", "How Do I Love Thee", and "Latifah's Had It Up 2 Here" – were released and promoted through accompanying music videos; all of the songs made appearances on Billboard charts.
[1] Marisa Fox of Entertainment Weekly said Latifah was becoming an established figure in rap and club music from the commercial performance of All Hail the Queen.
Nature of a Sista' is a hip hop album that consists of twelve tracks;[6][7] the instrumentals, provided by live musicians, combine elements of reggae and jazz along with "a raucous African beat" and "melodic choruses".
[6] A writer from The Boombox described the album as incorporating R&B and house music,[8] and Spin's Dimitri Ehrlich said it features a new jack swing sound through its sharper focus on vocal harmonies and electronic drums.
[5] A writer from People magazine noted that Nature of a Sista' focuses on issues relating to "self-assurance, humor and intelligence"; Latifah encourages women to respect themselves rather than place value in sex or money.
"[5] Comparing Nature of a Sista' with Latifah's previous studio albums, Marisa Fox wrote: "She’s toned down the sass and become more sensual and sophisticated.
[11] The album's title track revolves around Latifah bragging about her skills as a rapper,[11] while "Sexy Fancy" contains influences from dancehall music and ragga.
[3][11] In the album's closing track "How Do I Love Thee", Latifah instructs her lover how to sexually pleasure her; lyrics include: “It pleases me to have you touch me there / I think you know it gets to me / Stop!
[5] "Fly Girl" was released as the album's lead single;[11] it was promoted through a music video, in which Latifah wears an African headdress while accompanied by a group of back-up dancers.
[2] A writer for Vibe positively responded to the album for pushing the boundaries of musical genres, singling out "Latifah's Had It Up 2 Here" and "How Do I Love Thee" as examples.
[29] Alex Henderson of AllMusic described the album as "a decent sophomore effort that has more strengths than weaknesses", and commended Latifah for projecting a positive image.
[9] In 2018, The Source's Ime Ekpo wrote that Nature of a Sista' was a sign of how Latifah had "evolved into a more sensual artist",[12] and The Boombox's Jacinta Howard felt that it showcased her versatility.
While Henderson praised Latifah's technique as a rapper, he wrote that too much of the album was devoted to her "boasting about her microphone skills", and said it did not reflect her full capability as an artist.
[9] Despite identifying "If You Don't Know" as a highlight, Ms. Krista panned Nature of a Sista' as forgettable; she criticized "Fly Girl" and "Sexy Fancy" as unsuccessful attempts to incorporate influences from other genres, and described the album's title track as too focused on Latifah gloating about her rapping abilities.
[32] Ms. Krista of SoulBounce.com attributed the poor commercial performance to the absence of American producer DJ Mark the 45 King, who had previously worked with Latifah on All Hail the Queen.