The album earned generally positive reviews from music critics who praised its production and Songz' vocal performance. I Gotta Make It debuted and peaked at number 20 on US Billboard 200, with first week sales of 40,000 copies, and eventually sold 400,000 units in the United States. The album was preceded by the release of its lead single "Gotta Make It" which reached the top 30 on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. Follow-up "Gotta Go," released in July 2005, peaked at number 11 on the same chart.
Record producer Troy Taylor was introduced to Songz through Songz's stepfather with whom Taylor attended high school, ultimately leading to Songz signing a recording contract with Atlantic Records in 2003.[4] After graduating from Petersburg High School in 2002, Songz moved to New Jersey to begin recording his debut album, though recording did not actually begin until 2003.[5] While recording his debut album in 2004, Songz released multiple mixtapes under the alias Prince of Virginia.[5] One of the mixtapes featured an "answer track" to R. Kelly's "Trapped in the Closet", entitled "Open the Closet". The song gave Songz some notoriety.[6] When asked about the direction of his debut album, Songz said in 2005: "I had hip-hop instilled in me before R&B and then R. Kelly. I mixed rap into my singing so it flows R&B with hip-hop urgency. Its R&B but it feels like hip-hop. It's good R&B."[7]
Margeaux Watson from Entertainment Weekly described the album as "a sexy collection of eleven slow jams and thumping grooves that pay homage to Motown's golden era. The disc not only bridges the stylistic gap between Marvin Gaye and R. Kelly, it warmly introduces hip-hop soul's finest new voice."[2]HipHopDX called the album "a unique blend of R&B soul and funk with a mix of Trey Songz' spicy creativity and originality; A combination of hot production, smooth flowing vocals, and strong lyrics makes this a tight album [...] I Gotta Make It is a CD that eschews a breath of fresh air."[1]
Andy Kellman of AllMusic said found that "while Songz is hopefully shaking off his obvious indebtedness to [R.] Kelly here, I Gotta Make It is both very enjoyable and full of promise, carrying a fine balance between throwback and modern hip-hop soul. You can always sense that Songz is excited to be making an album; he doesn't even bother to affect a distant sense of cool, unlike so many of his youthful contemporaries, which is a definite asset."[3]Vibe editor Letisha Marrero Songz's wrote that Songz' "11-track offering is cohesive but missing that mind-blowing club joint. Perhaps the understatement is by design, as it allows for particular attention to the singer's versatile writing."[9] Will Lavin, writing for Gigwise, felt that Songz' vocal performance on I Gotta Make It "showcases the rise of an artist destined for big things."[8]
I Gotta Make It debuted and peaked at number 20 on US Billboard 200 chart in the week August 13, 2005, selling 40,000 copies.[10] In September 2010, Billboard reported that the album had sold 396,000 units in the United States by then.[11]
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