The song received generally positive reviews from music critics.
Clash's Robin Murray wrote that it "throws a curveball", describing the sample as "triggering a dramatic shift, the shuddering electronics replete with incredible detail."
Rolling Stone's Andre Gee wrote that Scott "fervently chains together end rhymes with multiple syllables and raps in interesting cadences." In an album review, Nathan Evans of
NME stated that
Utopia "rivals
OutKast's
Stankonia for how it devours genres and settings into his world", before writing "But Scott sounds maddened by the pursuit of finding that vague world. It's reflected in how he puts himself in the throes of the quaking opener 'Hyaena'". Vivian Medithi of
HipHopDX wrote a negative response, commenting it sounds like a "
Huncho Jack, Jack Huncho reject". Mackenzie Cummings-Grady of
Billboard placed "Hyaena" at number 6 in her ranking of the songs from
Utopia. In a
Facebook post, Gentle Giant responded favorably toward the sample of their song being used: "We are honored by the inclusion of our 1974 song 'Proclamation' in the intro track to Travis Scott's new album 'Utopia.' We are always amazed how Gentle Giant's music continues to inspire and evolve across diverse genres and generations, particularly within the Hip-Hop community." ==Charts==