Songfacts®:

• Travis Scott opens his fourth album, Utopia, with this hip-hop track. Over a bouncy '90s-like beat, he coasts over the topics of women, money, his squad and his resiliency in the face of adversity.
• Throughout the track, Travis makes several references to other celebrities, including braggadocious comparisons to Chelsea Handler and Kelsey Grammar.
  
  I be all around the map
  Write a show by myself like I'm Chelsea Handler
  Or write a series 'bout my bitches like I'm Kelsey Grammar
• The title alludes to Scott's tenacity. Hyenas (or "Hyaenas" as Scott prefers to spell them ) are known for their tenaciousness and their ability to survive in harsh conditions.
  
  The lyrics of "Hyaena" do not explicitly mention the title, but they do contain some references to tenacity and survival. For example, in the first verse Scott raps:
  
  I'm drivin' through Hell and I done brought snow
  It's shinin' in here, then I done brought glow
  I hear the sirens right out the chateau, run me the info
• Travis Scott produced the track with additional production by WondaGurl, Mike Dean, Noah Goldstein and Jahaan Sweet.
• The song opens with a sample from the second verse of British progressive rock band Gentle Giant's 1974 track, "Proclamation." On "Proclamation" a newly crowned king speaks out, claiming ultimate authority and demanding respect for his power over the kingdom. Scott echoes the message but flips the script and directs it towards the music industry, telling them he will change it by bringing Utopia.
  
  Scott wraps up "Hyaena" with a sample from Funkadelic's 1971 track "Maggot Brain." The H-town rapper uses this sample to say the world's falling apart, but he's here to deliver Utopia and make everything right again.
• Here's what Travis Scott told Pin-Up about the album's concept:
  
  "Utopia is something that people feel is so far-fetched and out of reach, some perfect state of mind. But you create it yourself. There are people who achieve utopia every day. They may not be the richest people with the dopest cribs, but it's a utopia wherever they are, and that's the most you can have. With every album I live in these worlds in my mind - I'm trying to show people experiences where utopian things can exist, and you can enjoy yourself and have a good time. They can create energy that spews out magical things - new cures, new buildings, new avenues for people to move forward. People need to see that utopia is real."