2011 single by Jay-Z and Kanye West featuring Beyoncé
"Lift Off" is a song by American rappers Kanye West and Jay-Z featuring the latter's wife, American singer Beyoncé. It was written by rappers, Jeff Bhasker, Mike Dean, Bruno Mars, and Seal, while production was handled by West, Bhasker, and Mike Dean with Pharrell, Q-Tip, and Don Jazzy receiving co- and additional production credits. It was originally released on August 8, 2011 as a track from Jay-Z's and West's collaborative album Watch the Throne before being sent to urban contemporary radio on August 23, 2011. The song was rumored to be released as the lead single from the album containing additional vocals by Bruno Mars. However, Mars never appeared on the song.
Musically, "Lift Off" is a pop song which uses baroque strings. It contains a chorus sung by Beyoncé, while other verses are sung by West and Jay-Z in a rap style. The instrumentation of the song involves synthesizers, martial drums and horns. The song peaked at number one on the South Korea Gaon International Chart and number twenty one on the US Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart. "Lift Off" was performed live by Jay-Z and Kanye West during their tour in promotion of Watch the Throne titled Watch the Throne Tour (2011–12). The song's instrumental was used as the outro at the end of Jay-Z and Beyoncé's On the Run Tour (2014) and Beyoncé performed her part of the song during her Renaissance World Tour (2023).