Rolling Stone ranked "The Symphony" the 48th greatest hip-hop song of all time, calling it "the first truly great posse cut".

[2] Marley Marl and his Juice Crew affiliates recorded "The Symphony" in Queens, immediately after posing in front of a Lear Jet for In Control, Volume 1's back-cover photography.

"[2] According to Masta Ace, Juice Crew member MC Shan was supposed to perform on this hit, but due to his success at the time, he told Marley that "he felt like he was belittling himself to be on a record with these new dudes.

Meanwhile, Big Daddy Kane's famous line, "Put a quarter in your ass 'cause you played yourself", pops up as a looped sample on the Beastie Boys' "Hey Fuck You".

Along with earning the 48th spot in Rolling Stone's "The 50 Greatest Hip-Hop Songs of All Time",[1] "The Symphony" ranks fifteenth in Ego Trip's list of rap's best posse cuts.