 Robert Palmer of "The New York Times" called "Planet Rock" "perhaps the most influential black pop record of 1982", noting its influence on "both the black pop mainstream and several leading white new-wave rockers".Contemporary musicians of the period commented on the track, with rapper Melle Mel saying later that "Planet Rock" had "[h]urt all the other rappers" noting that Bambaataa and his crew were "the only ones to have this real futuristic, synthesized sound.It hurt us because it ripped everything into a different dimension."