[3][4][5] "Panini" was written by Lil Nas X, alongside production duo Take a Daytrip and co-producer Dot Da Genius.

Late singer & Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain is also credited as a writer due to the chorus containing an interpolation of the band's song "In Bloom" from their album Nevermind.

Multiple music publications wrote that the chorus of the song contains an interpolation of "In Bloom", released on the 1991 album Nevermind by Nirvana and written by frontman Kurt Cobain.

The synth-driven ostinato simulates the timbre of a brass instrument and implies a v-VI harmonic progression with the tonic chord momentarily bridging the other two and effectively behaving as a passing tone; a similar approach is likewise found in Toto's hit "Africa".

[16] Stereogum's Tom Breihan compared the visuals to the 1982 film Blade Runner, interpreting them as "a sort of parody of what it's like to have a song that's suddenly inescapable, and for what it's like when other people have to deal with that omnipresence".

[18] Writing for Vulture, Zoe Haylock praised the video by stating that its art department and visual effects team deserve "an Academy Award?