 " Obsessed " received generally positive reviews from music critics . While most reviewers complimented the song 's lyrics and production , some criticized Carey for her usage of auto @-@ tune . Daniel Kreps from Rolling Stone stated that " the biting mid @-@ tempo track is already more musically and lyrically engrossing than E = MC ² ' s singles . " The A.V. Club 's Michaelangelo Matos complimented the song 's clever lyrics , and called it a " wicked dis of an unnamed Eminem for spreading rumors about their involvement . " Though criticizing Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel for being full of mid @-@ tempo numbers , James Reed from The Boston Globe felt " Obsessed " " stood out of the goo " , due to its witty lyrics and strong beat production . Monica Herrera of Billboard gave the song a positive review , describing it as a " gem of a dis record that coasts , even over its sputtering moans and synth jabs . " Additionally , Herrera complimented Carey 's lyrics , calling them " <unk> and funny " . Entertainment Weekly 's Leah Greenblatt described the track as a " brash synth kiss @-@ off " , while Alex Macpherson from The Guardian called it " jaunty " and " wisecracking " . On " Obsessed " , Sal Cinquemani from Slant Magazine felt the " attitude is sexy " , while Jon Caramanica from The New York Times felt the song was a stand @-@ out track from the album , which he felt was " dated " . He described that although the entire album was produced by Carey , The @-@ Dream and Tricky Stewart , which he described as " masters of compensation , helping elevate mediocre singers — like The @-@ Dream himself or Rihanna , on ' Umbrella ' — to something sublime " , " Obsessed " sounded " Dr. Dre @-@ esque , and felt it was a notable exception from the rest of Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel . 
