"True Magic" received generally mixed reviews from critics; it holds an aggregate score of 45 out of 100 at Metacritic. AllMusic's Andy Kellman called it "a disappointment" with "just enough quality material ('Dollar Day,' 'Fake Bonanza,' 'There Is a Way') to make the average fan not want to wipe it memory, but the flashes of brilliance are all too scarce." "New York Times" critic Nate Chinen said the music sounded as if it had been produced "on the cheap" and that some songs carried "urgent messages upfront, but not much depth within". Mos Def "may deliver tantalizing flashes of lyrical skill, but he doesn't inspire much feeling other than listless dread", Chinen wrote. Michael Furman from "Tiny Mix Tapes" was more enthusiastic about the album, writing that "it's not a happy record, and there are few, if any, genius rhymes. But it speaks volumes about the frustration and resignation of the underprivileged." Its single, "Undeniable", was nominated for the 2007 Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance. By March 2014, "True Magic" had sold 97,000 copies in the United States.