"Burn" is a song by the American hip hop superduo

¥$ ¥$ is an American hip hop supergroup composed of rapper Kanye West and singer Ty Dolla Sign. With the two maintaining a strong relationship during 2023, West invited Ty Dolla Sign to record songs in Tokyo, Italy, and later Saudi Arabia. During ...

, composed of rapper

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...

and singer Ty Dolla Sign, from their debut studio album ''

Vultures 1 ''Vultures 1'' is the debut studio album by the American hip hop supergroup ¥$, composed of the rapper Kanye West and the singer Ty Dolla Sign. It was released independently by the former's YZY brand on February 10, 2024. Guest appearanc ...

'' (2024). It was produced by both West and Ty Dolla Sign, along with Leon Thomas III and

The Legendary Traxster Samuel Lindley (born July 14, 1973 in Chicago, Illinois), better known by his stage name The Legendary Traxster, is an American songwriter, rapper and record producer. A native of Chicago, he is best known as a producer for Twista, Do or Die and ...

. The song contains samples of "Love Me or Leave Me" by Band of Thieves.

Composition

The song uses a soulful sound and its style has been considered reminiscent of music from Kanye West's early career. Lyrically, West criticizes those who have been "entertained" by his pain, gloats about of his downfall, and addresses his controversies and financial troubles, which he tries to present as a positive situation, rapping "I burned еight billion to take off my chains". Ty Dolla Sign performs the chorus.

Critical reception

The song was met with critical acclaim, often selected by critics as the "standout" song on an otherwise divisive project. ''Complex'''s Eric Skelton wrote, "There have been moments in the past few years when I've wondered if Kanye totally lost the plot and would never be able to make great music again, but songs like 'Burn' prove otherwise. He's still very capable, musically." Scott Glaysher of ''

HipHopDX ''HipHopDX'' is an online magazine of hip hop music criticism and news. The website's current president and publisher is Sharath Cherian and the Head Of Content is Jerry L. Barrow. ''HipHopDX'' is the flagship publication of Cheri Media Group. ...

'' regarded "Burn" to be the best song from ''Vultures 1'', commenting it features "classic Kanye songwriting, plus he does a great job harmonizing the final chorus with Ty. It only lasts two minutes but it's enough to give fans and critics alike hope for the next two installments." Rhian Daly of ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'' also considered it one of the album's best tracks.

Alexis Petridis Alexis Petridis ( el, Αλέξης Πετρίδης; born 13 September 1971) is a British journalist, head rock and pop critic for the UK newspaper ''The Guardian'', as well as a regular contributor to the magazine '' GQ''. In addition to his mus ...

of ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' described the song as "melodically rich and hook-laden". Jayson Buford of ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'' wrote the song "sounds like a cheeky, vintage Kanye feature; here he's at his most likable. He isn't quite shifting the culture in real time anymore, but this could be a foundation for something going forward — if his head allows it." Reviewing ''Vultures 1'' for '' Pitchfork'', Paul A. Thompson stated "save for the nimble 'Burn,' there is a confusing flatness to his verses that exacerbates (or is exacerbated by) the sameness of the writing." ''Consequence'''s Wren Graves responded negatively to the song, incorrectly stating that West, "with all the skill of a man who alienated his best ghostwriters, rhymes 'pain' with 'pain'". In actuality, the aforementioned lyric was "When my campaign turned to cam-pain."

Charts

References

{{Ty Dolla Sign 2024 songs Kanye West songs Ty Dolla Sign songs Song recordings produced by Kanye West Songs written by Kanye West Songs written by Ty Dolla Sign Songs written by Morten Ristorp Songs written by The Legendary Traxster Songs written by Leon Thomas III Songs written by Christopher Dotson