The album received mixed to positive reviews from music critics some of which called it one of 2005's best hip hop albums, while others criticized The Day After for being too predictable. Upon release, it debuted and peaked at number two on the US Billboard 200 and became the rapper's second album to reach the top of the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. The Day After was eventually certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Lead single "Girl Tonite" peaked at number 14 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Matt Cibula from PopMatters called the album the "finest mainstream hip-hop album of the year." He noted that aside from a "guest star supernova," The Day After was a "Twista album. He’s funny, he’s scary, he’s goth (but not as goth as last time), he’s sexy, he’s a whole lot of things."[5]RapReviews critic Steve "Flash" Juon found that The Day After was "not a perfect album, but it's solid from start to finish and an excellent follow-up to Kamikaze."[6]HipHopDX noted that "overall, Twista serenades us with a slew of the old and the new on this album. He shows versatility while remaining consistent. He exudes confidence while remaining humble. With a few other surprises that I didn’t mention and the ones I gave away, the album is well put together."[3]
Steve Jones from USA Today called the project "another set of swaggering rapid-fire anthems and sex-you-up ballads."[9]AllMusic editor David Jeffries remarked that The Day After was "heavy with R&B, slickness, and hooks" and offered "great singles, worthy filler, and a couple missteps."[2] Kefela Sanneh, writing for The New York Times, found that "Twista's fast but heavy rhyme style doesn't often leave room for charm or narrative or wit. But his intricate verbal rhythms are more important than the words, anyway, and the album has a fistful of wild beats and well-chosen cameos."[11]Billboard felt that that The Day After failed at "eliciting the same response as its predecessor [but] luckily, there are enough highlights to balance things out."[12]Rolling Stone magazine described the album as "predictable and unexceptional."[7]
^ abHoard, Christian; Relic, Peter. "Rolling Stone review". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on October 16, 2007. Retrieved August 5, 2007.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
