Adam Fleischer of XXL gave the mixtape an L, saying "The beats here are all calculatedly trap music-tested, as is Salute Me or Shoot Me 4‘s content. But that’s precisely what Waka was aiming for, and what he needed. Though the style of his energy and aggression on record is no longer as surprising as it initially was, it’s still just as magnetic. When given two choices with this tape’s title, a salute for Waka is probably both safer and more fitting."[3] Jordan Sargent of Pitchfork gave the mixtape a 6.7 out of 10, saying "Waka's energy has an almost gravitational pull and it's as strong here as ever. But lately, he's begun to expose a softer side of himself (like subtitling his last album Friends, Fans, and Family) that makes him Fozzie Bear-lovable. In fact, his songs are hardly even angry anymore. There's a gleeful streak running through Salute Me 4 that gives it a decidedly different vibe: It's an hour of shouting that sounds like a hug."[2]
