 The album is not intended as a direct follow-up to "Fantastic Damage", but instead collects together various B-sides, instrumentals, film soundtracking work, and beats El-P has previously produced for other artists.David Moore of "Pitchfork" gave the album a 5.9 out of 10, saying, "most of "Collecting the Kid" shows one of underground hip-hop's most consistently rewarding producers in a frustrating holding pattern.