{{Short description|American music critic and YouTuber (born 1985)}} {{Use American English|date=August 2025}} {{Use mdy dates|date=June 2023}} {{Infobox youtuber | name = Anthony Fantano | image = Anthony fantano cornell 2023 4 cropped.png | alt = A man with black eyeglasses and red flannel looking at the screen, with a red cabinet and albums at the back | caption = Fantano in 2023 | birth_name = Anthony Nicholas Fantano | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1985|10|28}} | birth_place = Wolcott, Connecticut, U.S. | occupation = {{flatlist| * Music critic * YouTuber * streamer * influencer }} | website = {{URL|theneedledrop.com}} | pseudonym = {{flatlist| * Melon<ref>{{cite web |title=Anthony Fantano Responds To Alt-Right & Racist Accusations |work=Kill Your Stereo |url=https://killyourstereo.com/news/1097825/anthony-fantano-responds-to-alt-right-racist-accusations/ |access-date=May 29, 2019 |archive-date=November 9, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211109092704/https://killyourstereo.com/news/1097825/anthony-fantano-responds-to-alt-right-racist-accusations/ |url-status=live }}</ref> * Cal Chuchesta<ref name="mancunion">{{cite web|last=Ingham|first=Tom|title=Interview: Anthony Fantano (The Needle Drop)|website=The Mancunion|url=https://mancunion.com/2014/03/23/interview-anthony-fantano-the-needle-drop/|date=March 23, 2014|access-date=November 20, 2020|archive-date=November 28, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201128065302/https://mancunion.com/2014/03/23/interview-anthony-fantano-the-needle-drop/|url-status=live}}</ref> * The Internet's Busiest Music Nerd<ref name="Wired">{{cite magazine | last=Veronin | first=Nick. | url=https://www.wired.com/underwire/2014/02/anthony-fantano/ | title=The Hardest Working Critic in Show Business Never Stops Hunting for New Music | magazine=Wired | date=February 18, 2014 | access-date=March 11, 2017 | archive-date=March 15, 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140315142147/http://www.wired.com/underwire/2014/02/anthony-fantano/ | url-status=live }}</ref> }} | youtube_handle = theneedledrop | youtube_display_name = | youtube_years_active = | youtube_genre = Music | youtube_subscribers = 3.08 million<!-- PLEASE DO NOT CHANGE WITHOUT UPDATING stats_update BELOW --> | youtube_views = 1.2 billion<!-- PLEASE DO NOT CHANGE WITHOUT UPDATING stats_update BELOW --> | stats_update = April 3, 2026 }}
'''Anthony Nicholas Fantano'''<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://listen.tidal.com/album/107191976/credits |title=Credits / Best Teef? (Anderson .Paak Diss) [feat. Anthony Fantano] / Cal Chuchesta |date=April 12, 2019 |access-date=2024-01-21 |publisher=Tidal}}</ref> ({{IPAc-en|f|æ|n|'|t|æ|n|oʊ}} {{respell|fan|TAN|oh}}; born October 28, 1985<ref><nowiki>https://isni.org/isni/</nowiki>'''000000046639265X'''</ref>) is an American music critic and internet personality who runs '''''The Needle Drop''''', a YouTube channel with a tie-in website and Twitch<ref>{{Cite web |title=theneedledrop |url=https://www.twitch.tv/theneedledrop |website=Twitch |access-date=May 20, 2023 |archive-date=May 6, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230506003932/https://www.twitch.tv/theneedledrop |url-status=live }}</ref> streaming channel. Self-billed as "The Internet's Busiest Music Nerd", as a social media influencer Fantano discusses and reviews music from a variety of genres online.<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=2024-08-26 |title=25 Most Influential Creators of 2024 |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-lists/top-social-media-influencers-creators-2024-1235084589/plastique-tiara-1235084766/ |access-date=2024-12-04 |magazine=Rolling Stone |language=en-US}}</ref> He also runs the channel '''''Fantano''''' where he talks about events in the music industry solo or with guests and conducts interviews.
== Early life == Fantano was born and raised in Wolcott, Connecticut.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |url=https://www.spin.com/featured/anthony-fantano-the-needle-drop-profile-interview/ |title=How Anthony Fantano, aka ''The Needle Drop'', Became Today's Most Successful Music Critic |last=Gordon|first=Jeremy |work=Spin |date=November 30, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161201134015/https://www.spin.com/featured/anthony-fantano-the-needle-drop-profile-interview/ |archive-date=December 1, 2016 |url-status=dead}}</ref> As a teenager, he became interested in politics through the work of the musician Jello Biafra, former lead singer of the punk band Dead Kennedys, calling him "pretty much [his] political idol".<ref>{{Cite web|last=Noonan|first=David|date=June 1, 2003|title=A Generation Finds Its Voice|url=https://www.newsweek.com/generation-finds-its-voice-137849|url-status=live|access-date=August 11, 2021|website=Newsweek|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150205015707/http://www.newsweek.com/generation-finds-its-voice-137849|archive-date=February 5, 2015}}</ref> Fantano graduated from Southern Connecticut State University in 2008, earning a liberal arts degree concentrated in journalism, communications, and political science.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://news.southernct.edu/2024/08/29/anthony-fantano-08-named-amongst-rolling-stones-most-influential-creators-of-2024/ | title=Anthony Fantano, '08, Named Among Rolling Stone's 'Most Influential Creators' of 2024 | date=August 29, 2024 }}</ref>
== Career == {{multiple image | total_width = 200 | align = right | image1 = The Needle Drop logo.png | footer = ''The Needle Drop'' logo }}
Fantano started his career in the mid-2000s as a music director for the Southern Connecticut State University college radio station.<ref name="Elabbady">{{cite news |url=http://greenroommagazine.com/music/interview-anthony-fantano-of-the-needle-drop/ |title=Interview: Anthony Fantano of The Needle Drop |last=Elabbady |first=Ali |date=October 30, 2013|work=Green Room |location=United States |url-status=usurped|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140526044620/http://greenroommagazine.com/music/interview-anthony-fantano-of-the-needle-drop/|archive-date=May 26, 2014}}</ref>
=== The Needle Drop === In 2007, Fantano started working at Connecticut Public Radio (WNPR), where he hosted ''The Needle Drop''.<ref name="turnyouon">{{Cite news |url=https://consequence.net/2014/10/anthony-fantano-wants-to-turn-you-on/ |title=Anthony Fantano Wants to Turn You On |first=MICHAEL |last=MADDEN |work=Consequence of Sound |date=October 9, 2014 |access-date=January 17, 2023 |archive-date=October 30, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221030133651/https://consequence.net/2014/10/anthony-fantano-wants-to-turn-you-on/ |url-status=live }}</ref> That same year, he launched ''The Needle Drop'' in the form of written reviews, eventually launching his series of video reviews on the YouTube channel of the same name in January 2009, starting with a Jay Reatard record.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/music/2015/04/28/web-celeb-fantano-brings-needle-drop-middle-east/GZ2Y0zFlqbizSZKW0sa8rN/story.html |title=Anthony Fantano brings Needle Drop to Middle East |first=Maura |last=Johnston |author-link=Maura Johnston |work=The Boston Globe |date=April 28, 2015 |access-date=August 4, 2019 |archive-date=August 4, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190804005156/https://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/music/2015/04/28/web-celeb-fantano-brings-needle-drop-middle-east/GZ2Y0zFlqbizSZKW0sa8rN/story.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite book|last=Acaster|first=James|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_DGKDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT80|title=Perfect Sound Whatever|date=August 22, 2019|publisher=Hachette UK|isbn=978-1-4722-6032-1|language=en}}</ref><ref name="turnyouon" /> In 2010, Fantano removed older reviews that contained music clips in order to avoid violations of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.<ref name=":0" /> At the time, he was working on ''The Needle Drop'' at his college radio station, as well as at a pizza restaurant. In late 2011, he decided to pursue ''The Needle Drop'' full-time, but kept affiliation with WNPR until 2014.<ref name="Elabbady" /><ref name=":0" /><ref name="turnyouon" />
Fantano was offered an album review show on Adult Swim but declined.<ref name=":0" /> By the end of 2017, Fantano had reached a million subscribers and diversified his content to include weekly "track roundup" videos, livestreamed Q&As, and video think-pieces alongside his album reviews.<ref name=":1" /> To earn enough money to pay his editor Austen Walsh, by November 2016, Fantano was recording more regularly on a secondary YouTube channel, "thatistheplan", on which he reviewed memes and recorded "often irreverent videos that don't fall into the record review format", according to ''Spin''.<ref name=":0" />
In October 2017, an article by Ezra Marcus in ''The Fader'' accused Fantano of promoting alt-right sentiments in videos on "thatistheplan". Marcus criticized Fantano for the use of Pepe the Frog memes (which had recently been labeled an alt-right symbol) and targeting feminists.<ref>{{Cite news |date=October 4, 2017 |title=Popular music vlogger accused of promoting alt-right sentiment – NME |work=NME |url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/popular-music-vlogger-accused-pandering-alt-right-separate-channel-2147022 |access-date=August 23, 2018 |archive-date=April 23, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220423115205/https://www.nme.com/news/music/popular-music-vlogger-accused-pandering-alt-right-separate-channel-2147022 |url-status=live }}</ref> After the article was released, multiple scheduled dates of ''The Needle Drop'' U.S. tour were canceled, with at least one ticket booking site for a Brooklyn tour date stating that their cancellation was due to the ''Fader'' article.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Anthony Fantano's Entire Tour Canceled Over Racist, Alt-Right Allegations |work=Digital Music News |url=https://www.digitalmusicnews.com/2017/10/10/anthony-fantano-tour-canceled-alt-right/ |access-date=October 2, 2020 |archive-date=September 22, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200922195333/https://www.digitalmusicnews.com/2017/10/10/anthony-fantano-tour-canceled-alt-right/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=October 5, 2017 |title=The Needle Drop Live Shows Cancelled Amid Controversy |work=Noisey by Vice |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/the-needle-drop-live-shows-cancelled-amid-controversy/ |access-date=October 2, 2020 |archive-date=November 11, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201111202313/https://www.vice.com/en/article/7xkj4x/the-needle-drop-live-shows-cancelled-amid-controversy |url-status=live }}</ref> Fantano produced a video response calling the article a "hit job". He disputed accusations of sympathizing with the alt-right and stated that the videos in question were satirical. The article was deleted by ''The Fader'' in March 2018, with both parties saying that the claims were settled.<ref>{{Cite news |date=March 21, 2018 |title=Fader Removes Article Amid Settlement With Anthony Fantano |work=Spin |url=https://www.spin.com/2018/03/anthony-fantano-needle-drop-fader-settlement/ |access-date=August 23, 2018 |archive-date=May 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220501194915/https://www.spin.com/2018/03/anthony-fantano-needle-drop-fader-settlement/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In a later interview, Fantano acknowledged that there had been some "grubby, closed-minded, young, aggressive male" viewers on the "thatistheplan" channel and disavowed what he saw as the "toxic and problematic" side of internet humor, stating that the incident had led him to be more vocal in his advocacy for social justice issues.<ref name="whomatters">{{Cite news |last=Coscarelli |first=Joe |date=September 30, 2020 |title=The Only Music Critic Who Matters (if You're Under 25) |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/30/arts/music/anthony-fantano-the-needle-drop.html |url-access=subscription |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210720095514/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/30/arts/music/anthony-fantano-the-needle-drop.html |archive-date=July 20, 2021 |issn=0362-4331 |quote=The influential evangelist in question is the YouTuber named Anthony Fantano, 34, who has been speaking album and song reviews directly into a camera for more than a decade on The Needle Drop, his channel with 2.26 million subscribers, making him probably the most popular music critic left standing.}}</ref>
In July 2019, Fantano made a cameo appearance in Lil Nas X's animated music video for the Young Thug and Mason Ramsey remix of "Old Town Road", appearing as a security guard for the Area 51 military installation (a reference to the "Storm Area 51" meme).<ref>{{Cite web|last=Will|first=Gottsegen|date=July 16, 2019|title=Lil Nas X Releases Insane Meme-Filled Video for Newest "Old Town Road" Remix|url=https://www.spin.com/2019/07/lil-nas-x-old-town-road-remix-area-51-video/|access-date=February 5, 2022|website=Spin|language=en-US|archive-date=February 5, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220205004010/https://www.spin.com/2019/07/lil-nas-x-old-town-road-remix-area-51-video/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Spearman|first=Kahron|date=July 19, 2019|title=Area 51 remix video proves it's the summer of Lil Nas X|website=The Daily Dot|url=https://www.dailydot.com/unclick/old-town-road-remix-area-51-memes/|access-date=February 5, 2022|archive-date=January 23, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220123153314/https://www.dailydot.com/unclick/old-town-road-remix-area-51-memes/|url-status=live}}</ref> Later that year he curated a charity compilation, ''The Needle Drop LP'', which consists of tracks performed by "artists that have either been featured on the site or reviewed favorably in the past". Profits from the album were donated to The Immigrant Legal Resource Center non-profit.<ref>{{cite web |title=Open Mike Eagle Shares New Song to Support Immigrant Legal Resource Center: Listen |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/open-mike-eagle-shares-new-song-to-support-immigrant-legal-resource-center-listen/ |first=Allison |last=Hussey |date=September 13, 2019 |accessdate=June 8, 2021 |website=Pitchfork |archive-date=June 17, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210617092328/https://pitchfork.com/news/open-mike-eagle-shares-new-song-to-support-immigrant-legal-resource-center-listen/ |url-status=live }}</ref>[[File:Anthony fantano cornell 2023 5.jpg|thumb|Fantano speaking at a Q&A at Cornell University in 2023|left]]On September 15, 2022, Fantano uploaded a video on his second channel jokingly claiming that Drake had sent private messages to him on Instagram, specifically recommending Fantano a vegan cookie recipe. In response, Drake posted his genuine messages to Fantano on Instagram Stories, which stated that Fantano's existence is a "light 1" and that the "1 is cause [he is] alive". Fantano later spoke about the exchange on an Instagram livestream, stating that the video was a "shitpost" and that he had no "hard feelings" toward Drake.<ref name="Fantano 1, Drake 0">{{cite web|url=https://consequence.net/2022/09/anthony-fantano-drake-beef-explained/|title=YouTuber Anthony Fantano Trolls Drake Into Revealing Threatening DMs|first=Eddie|last=Fu|website=Consequence|date=September 16, 2022|access-date=September 16, 2022|archive-date=September 16, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220916171904/https://consequence.net/2022/09/anthony-fantano-drake-beef-explained/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Fantano 2, Drake 0">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/drake-disses-music-critic-anthony-fantano-1234594541/|title=Drake Disses Music Critic Anthony Fantano Over Fake DM Video With a Real, 'Salty Ass' Message|first=Tomás|last=Mier|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=September 16, 2022|access-date=September 16, 2022|archive-date=September 16, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220916174446/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/drake-disses-music-critic-anthony-fantano-1234594541/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Fantano 3, Drake 0">{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2022/music/news/drake-anthony-fantano-beef-feud-explained-1235374908/|title=Drake Feuds With Music Critic Anthony Fantano: Your 'Existence' Is a 1/10|first=Ethan|last=Shanfeld|website=Variety|date=September 16, 2022|access-date=September 16, 2022|archive-date=September 16, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220916150840/https://variety.com/2022/music/news/drake-anthony-fantano-beef-feud-explained-1235374908/|url-status=live}}</ref>
Fantano garnered attention for his video on Kanye West and Ty Dolla Sign's album ''Vultures 1'' in February 2024. Declaring the record "unreviewable trash," he talked about West's antisemitic views, particularly those expressed in his music, and general attitude preventing him from fully critiquing the record;<ref>{{Cite web |date=February 14, 2024 |title=Nessuno prende più sul serio Kanye West |url=https://www.ilpost.it/2024/02/14/kanye-west-vultures-critiche/ |access-date=February 29, 2024 |website=Il Post |language=it}}</ref> he also delved into discourse regarding West's fan base being generally hostile to criticism and negative reviews. The video subsequently received backlash from West's fans on social media.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=Cole |first=Alexander |date=February 13, 2024 |title=Anthony Fantano Goes To War With Kanye West's Fanbase After Calling "Vultures" An "Unreviewable" Album |url=https://www.hotnewhiphop.com/763326-anthony-fantano-war-kanye-west-fans-hip-hop-news |access-date=February 14, 2024 |website=HotNewHipHop |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":4">{{Cite web |last=Coleman II |first=C. Vernon |date=February 13, 2024 |title=Popular Album Review YouTuber Anthony Fantano Says Kanye West's Vultures 1 Album Is 'Unreviewable Trash' |url=https://www.xxlmag.com/anthony-fantano-kanye-west-vultures-1-review/ |access-date=February 14, 2024 |website=XXL |language=en}}</ref> In October 2025, Fantano collaborated with the American comedy rapper Yuno Miles on the song "Take Me Back", also appearing in its music video.<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Cummings-Grady |first1=Mackenzie |title=Anthony Fantano Raps Playful Bars Over Yuno Miles' New Song: 'You'll Be Telling All Your Girls About My Stamina' |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/rb-hip-hop/anthony-fantano-raps-yuno-miles-new-song-1236093430/ |magazine=Billboard |access-date=October 27, 2025 |date=October 20, 2025 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Blake |first1=Cole |title=Anthony Fantano Flexes His Rapping Ability On New Yuno Miles Song, "Take Me Back" |url=https://www.hotnewhiphop.com/953758-anthony-fantano-flexes-rapping-ability-new-yuno-miles-song-take-me-back-hip-hop-news |access-date=October 27, 2025 |work=HotNewHipHop |date=October 20, 2025}}</ref>
=== Albums rating scale === thumb|Outside the standard zero to ten rating scale, Fantano will also occasionally give a score outside of the standard scale, such as ''NOT GOOD'' (pictured). Albums are rated on a standard zero to ten scale, with Fantano deeming an album score of a five as "indifference", with scores above a five as him enjoying the record to varying degrees, and below five mostly disliking it. There are also additional qualifiers ("light", "decent", or "strong") with each number besides ten and typically zero. Fantano will also occasionally give a score outside of the standard scale, such as "''NOT GOOD''" for albums he deems unworthy of reviewing in full, believing the album to simply be "not good".<ref>{{Citation |title=Is NOT GOOD Worse Than a 0/10? | date=September 14, 2019 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVvldiRCnec |access-date=2024-02-14 |language=en}}</ref>{{npsn|date=July 2025}} Fantano also uses the color of his flannel to show his rating, such as the red flannel for bad albums and a yellow/golden one for great albums.<ref>{{Cite web |last=cherrytapemagazine |date=2023-01-27 |title=The Power of Anthony Fantano Flannels |url=https://cherrytapemag.com/the-power-of-anthony-fantano-flannels/ |access-date=2025-06-08 |website=Cherry Tape Magazine |language=en-US}}</ref>
====Albums rated 10 on release====
{|class="wikitable sortable" |- ! Artist ! Title ! Year ! {{Refh}} |- | Death Grips || ''The Money Store'' ||2012 || <ref name="whomatters"/> |- | Swans || ''To Be Kind'' || 2014 || <ref name="whomatters"/> |- | {{Sort|Lamar, Kendrick|Kendrick Lamar}} || ''To Pimp a Butterfly'' || 2015 || <ref name="whomatters"/> |- | Kids See Ghosts || ''Kids See Ghosts''|| rowspan="2"| 2018 || <ref name="whomatters"/> |- | Daughters || ''You Won't Get What You Want'' ||<ref name="whomatters"/> |- | Spellling || ''The Turning Wheel'' ||rowspan="2"| 2021 || <ref name="CTInsider">{{cite news |last1=Cuevas |first1=Jailene |title=CT music critic Anthony Fantano talks life with 2.6M subscribers on YouTube |url=https://www.ctinsider.com/entertainment/article/anthony-fantano-the-needle-drop-ct-17594587.php |access-date=October 5, 2023 |work=CT Insider |publisher=Hearst Media Services Connecticut |date=November 22, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221122175040/https://www.ctinsider.com/entertainment/article/anthony-fantano-the-needle-drop-ct-17594587.php |archive-date=November 22, 2022 |url-status=live}}</ref> |- | Lingua Ignota || ''Sinner Get Ready'' || <ref name="CTInsider" /> |- |Charli XCX |''Brat'' |2024 |<ref>{{cite web |last1=DaRosa |first1=Andrew |title=CT's Anthony Fantano ranked among Rolling Stone's 'Most Influential Creators' of 2024 |url=https://www.ctinsider.com/entertainment/article/anthony-fantano-connecticut-rolling-stone-19725126.php |website=CT Insider |access-date=17 June 2025 |language=en}}</ref> |- |Clipse |''Let God Sort Em Out'' |2025 |<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://theneedledrop.com/album-reviews/clipse-let-god-sort-em-out-album-review/|title=Clipse - Let God Sort Em Out|date=July 16, 2025|website=The Needle Drop}}</ref> |}
==== Albums rated 0 on release ==== {| class="wikitable sortable" |- ! Artist ! Title ! Year ! {{Refh}} |- | Kid Cudi || ''Speedin' Bullet 2 Heaven'' || 2015 || <ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Earp |first=Joseph |date=2021-08-02 |title=Anthony Fantano Ranked All His 0/10 Scoring Albums And Gosh, It's Brutal Out Here |url=https://junkee.com/anthony-fantano-ranking/303984 |access-date=2023-09-30 |website=Junkee |language=en-US |archive-date=November 12, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221112014745/https://junkee.com/anthony-fantano-ranking/303984 |url-status=live }}</ref> |- | Chance the Rapper|| ''The Big Day'' |2019|| <ref name=":2" /> |- |Green Day |''Father of All Motherfuckers'' |2020 |<ref>{{Cite web |last=Earp |first=Joseph |date=2020-02-11 |title=Green Day's New Album Is Getting Some Downright Brutal Reviews |url=https://junkee.com/anthony-fantano-green-day/241760 |access-date=2023-09-30 |website=Junkee |language=en-US |archive-date=March 8, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308155135/https://junkee.com/anthony-fantano-green-day/241760 |url-status=live }}</ref> |- |Tones and I |''Welcome to the Madhouse'' |2021 |<ref name=":2" /> |- |Ken Carson |''X'' |2022 |<ref>{{Citation |title=Ken Carson - X ALBUM REVIEW | date=July 12, 2022 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lokqffmF2A |access-date=2023-09-30 |language=en |archive-date=March 14, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230314163436/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lokqffmF2A |url-status=live }}</ref> |- |MGK and Trippie Redd |''Genre: Sadboy'' |2024 |<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://theneedledrop.com/album-reviews/mgk-trippie-redd-genre-sadboy-ep-review/|title=MGK & Trippie Redd - genre : sadboy|date=April 3, 2024|website=The Needle Drop}}</ref> |- |Yuno Miles |''Album'' |2025 |<ref name="YunoReview">{{Cite web |last=Cole |first=Alexander |date=2025-10-20 |title=Fantano Diss - Song by Yuno Miles |url=https://www.hotnewhiphop.com/965043-fantano-diss-yuno-miles |access-date=2026-03-10 |website=HotNewHipHop |language=en |quote=Fantano's 0/10 review for the new Yuno Miles album has sparked a diss track. Of course, this is all tongue in cheek, especially when you consider how Fantano himself has a verse on the song.}}</ref>{{Efn|The review was meant as a joke, as Fantano and Miles have collaborated multiple times, including on Miles' diss track aimed at Fantano after his negative review.<ref name="YunoReview" />|name=note1|group=note}} |}
== Public image == thumb|Fantano as his alter-ego, "Cal Chuchesta"<ref name="mancunion" /> The Needle Drop won the 2011 O Music Awards in the "Beyond the Blog" category.<ref>{{cite press release|title=O Music Awards Take Over Halloween's Largest Street Party|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/1673510/o-music-awards-recap/|first=KARA|last=WARNER|website=MTV News|date=November 1, 2011|access-date=May 17, 2018|archive-date=January 22, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160122222315/http://www.mtv.com/news/1673510/o-music-awards-recap/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|title=Robyn Wows MTV O Music Awards; Bjork & Marilyn Manson's Butt Win Big|magazine=Billboard|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/465377/robyn-wows-mtv-o-music-awards-bjork-marilyn-mansons-butt-win-big|access-date=September 8, 2019|archive-date=July 19, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200719095134/https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/465377/robyn-wows-mtv-o-music-awards-bjork-marilyn-mansons-butt-win-big|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2014, Nick Veronin of ''Wired'' said of Fantano: "Instead of deploying ten-dollar words to describe a riff or synth tone, Fantano relies on gestures, clenching his fists or contorting his elastic, expressive face. It gets at some of the more ephemeral qualities of music that written words can't begin to touch".<ref name="Wired" />
When asked about the merits of Fantano's reviews, veteran music critic Robert Christgau said in 2019:<ref>{{cite web|last=Christgau|first=Robert|author-link=Robert Christgau|date=January 15, 2019|title=Xgau Sez|url=http://www.robertchristgau.com/xgausez.php?d=2019-01-15|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210211122430/https://www.robertchristgau.com/xgausez.php?d=2019-01-15|archive-date=February 11, 2021|access-date=August 12, 2021|website=Robertchristgau.com}}</ref> {{Blockquote|[Fantano] seems to have arrived at a plausible brand of 21st-century rockcrit taste that runs toward what I'll call dark prog [...] Nowhere near as insensible to hip-hop/r&b as dark proggers tend to be, but note that very few female artists crack his top 10s, which in 2018 was really missing the action. Fantano seems to have figured out a way to make some kind of living by disseminating his own criticism in the online age.}}
In his 2019 book ''Perfect Sound Whatever'', comedian James Acaster called Fantano's best albums of 2016 list "a real music fan's Top 50" and said of Fantano: "Perhaps more than anybody else, he appreciates how the reviewer's role has changed since the internet became a thing [...] The job of a reviewer used to be telling people what's worth their money but now it's telling people what's worth their time."<ref name=":1" /> In September 2020, ''New York Times'' culture correspondent Joe Coscarelli described Fantano as "probably the most popular music critic left standing". According to Coscarelli, Fantano has successfully brought an "old art to a new medium" and has revitalized the record review format for a younger generation of music consumers.<ref name="whomatters" />
Beyond critical appraisals, Fantano's visibility within online music culture has been underscored by recurring appearances in mainstream discourse and internet memes. In September 2022, a tongue‑in‑cheek video on his second channel prompted a social‑media exchange with Drake that drew coverage from music and entertainment outlets.<ref>{{cite web |last=Fu |first=Eddie |date=September 16, 2022 |title=YouTuber Anthony Fantano Trolls Drake Into Revealing Threatening DMs |url=https://consequence.net/2022/09/anthony-fantano-drake-beef-explained/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220916171904/https://consequence.net/2022/09/anthony-fantano-drake-beef-explained/ |archive-date=September 16, 2022 |access-date=September 16, 2022 |website=Consequence}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |last=Mier |first=Tomás |date=September 16, 2022 |title=Drake Disses Music Critic Anthony Fantano Over Fake DM Video With a Real, 'Salty Ass' Message |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/drake-disses-music-critic-anthony-fantano-1234594541/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220916174446/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/drake-disses-music-critic-anthony-fantano-1234594541/ |archive-date=September 16, 2022 |access-date=September 16, 2022 |magazine=Rolling Stone}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Shanfeld |first=Ethan |date=September 16, 2022 |title=Drake Feuds With Music Critic Anthony Fantano: Your 'Existence' Is a 1/10 |url=https://variety.com/2022/music/news/drake-anthony-fantano-beef-feud-explained-1235374908/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220916150840/https://variety.com/2022/music/news/drake-anthony-fantano-beef-feud-explained-1235374908/ |archive-date=September 16, 2022 |access-date=September 16, 2022 |website=Variety}}</ref>
On April 26, 2026, the online music magazine ''Pitchfork'' published an article titled "Meet the Young Wikipedians Writing the Front Page of Music History", in which staff writer Kieran Press-Reynolds (child of American music journalists Simon Reynolds and Joy Press) reported that a prolific 20-year-old Wikipedia editor from Manchester had posted "a diatribe against Anthony Fantano" to their Wikipedia userpage. Reynolds noted in the article that this passage was ultimately removed for violating Wikipedia's policies regarding civility and the biographies of living people, and that the user who authored it had previously been blocked from the project several times for infractions like edit warring.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Press-Reynolds |first=Kieran |date=2026-04-23 |title=Meet the Young Wikipedians Writing the Front Page of Music History |url=https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/meet-the-young-wikipedians-writing-the-front-page-of-music-history/ |access-date=2026-05-24 |website=Pitchfork |language=en-US}}</ref> The following day on April 27, Fantano himself said in a short video posted to TikTok: "I know I'm not everyone's cup of tea, but I will say this: I didn't nepo my way into this industry, I never had to have some bitter loser on Wikipedia fabricate my relevance, and I never will. ''Mwah''!"<ref>https://www.tiktok.com/@theneedletok/video/7633485167176240415?_r=1&_t=ZP-965D5LOhS5n</ref>
On ''Complex'''s "Hip-Hop Media Power Ranking: The 2026 Edition", Fantano was ranked at #6 out of #25.<ref>{{cite web |last=SanFiorenzo |first=Dimas |title=Hip-Hop Media Power Ranking: The 2026 Edition |url=https://www.complex.com/music/a/dimassanfiorenzo/hip-hop-media-power-ranking-2026-edition |website=Complex |publisher=Complex Networks |date=5 May 2026 |access-date=5 May 2026 }}</ref>
== Personal life == Fantano resides in Connecticut.<ref name=":0" /> He is a vegan, having swapped to the diet after initially going vegetarian in his late teens.<ref name="Elabbady" /> In March 2018, Fantano told ''Polygon'' that he is a "free speech purist".<ref>{{Cite web|last=Alexander|first=Julia|date=March 7, 2018|title=Controversial YouTubers head to alternative platforms in wake of 'purge'|url=https://www.polygon.com/2018/3/7/17087668/steemit-dtube-bitchute-youtube-purge|url-status=live|access-date=March 17, 2021|website=Polygon|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180307210550/https://www.polygon.com/2018/3/7/17087668/steemit-dtube-bitchute-youtube-purge |archive-date=March 7, 2018 }}</ref> He endorsed Bernie Sanders in the 2020 United States presidential election.<ref>{{Cite web|date=February 2, 2020|title=Social Media Influencers' Role In 2020 Candidate Endorsements|url=https://www.npr.org/2020/02/02/801995382/social-media-influencers-role-in-2020-candidate-endorsements|access-date=February 4, 2022|website=NPR|language=en|archive-date=October 30, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221030134000/https://www.npr.org/2020/02/02/801995382/social-media-influencers-role-in-2020-candidate-endorsements|url-status=live}}</ref>
===Legal disputes=== On July 24, 2023, Fantano was named as a defendant in a lawsuit from video game developer Activision over a viral audio clip he had recorded on TikTok about pizza slices. Activision claimed that Fantano had asked for "substantial monetary damages" for the company's use of the audio in an advertisement for custom ''Crash Bandicoot'' trainers, or to be "prepared to defend a lawsuit".<ref>{{Cite news |last=Brittain |first=Blake |date=2023-07-25 |title=Activision sues music critic to fend off TikTok audio copying claims |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/activision-sues-music-critic-fend-off-tiktok-audio-copying-claims-2023-07-25/ |access-date=2023-08-27 |archive-date=August 27, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230827032107/https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/activision-sues-music-critic-fend-off-tiktok-audio-copying-claims-2023-07-25/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Paul |first=Larisha |date=2023-07-25 |title=Anthony Fantano Is Courting Lawsuits Over... His TikTok Pizza Meme |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/anthony-fantano-sued-by-video-game-developer-over-19-second-tiktok-audio-1234794622/ |access-date=2023-08-27 |magazine=Rolling Stone |language=en-US |archive-date=July 27, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230727125019/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/anthony-fantano-sued-by-video-game-developer-over-19-second-tiktok-audio-1234794622/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Dunworth |first=Liberty |date=2023-07-26 |title='The Needle Drop' critic Anthony Fantano being sued by Activision for pizza meme audio |url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/the-needle-drop-critic-anthony-fantano-being-sued-by-activision-for-pizza-meme-audio-3473689 |access-date=2023-08-27 |website=NME |language=en-GB |archive-date=August 27, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230827032107/https://www.nme.com/news/music/the-needle-drop-critic-anthony-fantano-being-sued-by-activision-for-pizza-meme-audio-3473689 |url-status=live }}</ref> On August 10, Activision dropped the lawsuit with prejudice, meaning it could not be refiled.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Brittain |first=Blake |date=2023-08-11 |title=Activision drops lawsuit over viral TikTok audio clip |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/activision-drops-lawsuit-over-viral-tiktok-audio-clip-2023-08-11/ |access-date=2023-08-27 |archive-date=August 27, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230827032113/https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/activision-drops-lawsuit-over-viral-tiktok-audio-clip-2023-08-11/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
Falling in Reverse frontman Ronnie Radke filed a defamation lawsuit against Fantano on August 20, 2024, claiming that the latter had "acted in malice" and "engaged in fraud" in posting commentary about the singer in a 2023 video titled "This Guy Sucks".<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Childers |first1=Chad |title=Report - Falling In Reverse's Ronnie Radke Files Defamation Suit Against Critic Anthony Fantano |website=Loudwire |date=August 22, 2024 |url=https://loudwire.com/falling-in-reverse-ronnie-radke-defamation-suit-against-anthony-fantano/ |access-date=2024-08-22 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=England |first=Adam |date=August 22, 2024 |title=Falling In Reverse's Ronnie Radke reportedly files defamation suit against Anthony Fantano |url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/falling-in-reverses-ronnie-radke-reportedly-files-defamation-suit-against-anthony-fantano-3786095 |access-date=2024-08-22 |website=NME }}</ref> The case was dismissed on May 12, 2025, with Radke being ordered to pay Fantano's legal fees.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Needle Drop's Anthony Fantano speaks out after winning defamation suit against Falling In Reverse's Ronnie Radke|url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/the-needle-drops-anthony-fantano-speaks-out-after-winning-defamation-suit-against-falling-in-reverses-ronnie-radke-3888656|website=NME|date=2025-08-29|access-date=2026-01-30|language=en-GB|first=Max|last=Pilley}}</ref>
== Notes == {{Notelist|group=note}}
== References == {{reflist}}
== External links == {{Commons category}} * {{Official website}} * {{YouTube|u=theneedledrop}} * {{IMDb name|7299000}} * {{Twitch|name=theneedledrop|link=https://www.twitch.tv/theneedledrop}} * {{Discogs artist|artist=4575532}}
{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fantano, Anthony}} Category:1985 births Category:21st-century American bass guitarists Category:21st-century American non-fiction writers Category:American people of Italian descent Category:American male bloggers Category:American bloggers Category:American music podcasters Category:American music critics Category:American music journalists Category:American social democrats Category:Internet properties established in 2009 Category:Living people Category:Musicians from Connecticut Category:American music YouTubers Category:People from Wolcott, Connecticut Category:Southern Connecticut State University alumni Category:American Twitch (service) streamers Category:YouTube critics and reviewers Category:American YouTube vloggers Category:YouTubers from Connecticut Category:Hip-hop mass media people