[3] Upon release, the album received mixed reviews from critics, who praised the production but found fault with the songwriting and negatively compared Ken to other rappers.

Pitchfork reviewer Mano Sundaresan compared the album to label boss Playboi Carti's album Whole Lotta Red, noting that while Carti "[yelped] and [screamed] all over WLR, [Ken] is comparatively chill," and ultimately concluded that "Project X aims for an entirely different tone than Whole Lotta Red; [Ken] and his producers are going for something sweeter, less scorched and serrated, and they achieve it in fits and starts."

However, he criticized Ken's writing, saying that "as the album progresses, it becomes obvious when [Ken]’s cartoonish cool shrouds lazy songwriting," and accused him of "trying to emulate Carti's chaos or Lil Uzi Vert’s velocity," specifically noting the songs "Shake" and "Hella" for being repetitive.

[2] HipHopDX reviewer Vivian Medithi began his review by admitting that he thought Ken was "a good rapper with an ear for melody and access to some of the genre's most exciting new beatmakers" and that "when Project X succeeds, Ken's music feels as kinetic and hedonistic as the movie the album is named after."

Medithi praised "Change", "Run + Ran", "Shake", and "So What" as standouts, writing that "the album is solid when Ken's raps are fully dialed in."