Vegan cookies and fake DMs: What’s Drake’s beef with YouTube critic Anthony Fantano?
Drake isn’t too happy with YouTube music critic Anthony Fantano‘s latest jest.
According to Variety, the “Honestly, Nevermind” rapper leaked his own Instagram messages with Fantano on Thursday evening in an effort to clarify that he had not privately messaged the popular YouTuber. Earlier that day, Fantano posted a YouTube video, titled “Drake Slid Into My DMs,” featuring a since-debunked conversation with Drizzy.
“I know we don’t really see eye-to-eye about music and that you are not the biggest fan of my albums (thanks for the kind words on Take Care and if You’re Reading This tho.) But it is what it is, you know,” said the first faked DM from Drake to Fantano.
Out of the blue Thursday, Drake announced he’ll be releasing his seventh studio album, ‘Honestly, Nevermind,’ at 9 p.m. Pacific. Here’s how to listen.
Fantano, known for rating albums on a scale of 1 to 10 on his YouTube channel theneedledrop and for his trolling humor, continued the bit in his video. In a second fabricated message, “Drake” said he “can always hope you’ll like the next one.” Fantano goes on to claim that the “Sticky” rapper also sent him a recipe for vegan cookies.
The music critic went on to read the recipe in its entirety with instructions, ingredients and even some typos.
“I’d really appreciate it if you could give this a spin and let me know if it’s worth trying myself! Appreciate you! Drizzy out!” said the final DM from “Drake.”
The first COVID-era dance album that actually sounds like catching a superflu at a warehouse party, it’ll likely be the most divisive record of his career.
The real Drake, however, wasn’t so amused with Fantano’s stunt. In response to the YouTube video, he shared a screenshot of his real messages to Fantano on his Instagram story.
“Your existence is a light 1. And the 1 is cause you are a live,” the first message said, Variety reported. The “light 1” echoed Fantano’s reviewing scale.
“And cause you somehow wifed a Black girl. I’m feeling a light to decent 1 on your existence,” Drake said in another message. The rapper’s screenshot showed no previous messages to or from Fantano. Not even the lengthy vegan cookie recipe.
Composed almost entirely of club music jams in which he raps as little as he ever has, Drake’s seventh studio album marks a change in course.
Clearly, Champagne Papi was bothered by Fantano’s fake Instagram messages. But, Fantano’s loving that Drake “shared the salty a— DM to over 100 million people,” he tweeted late Thursday night.
Fantano has previously been a thorn in Drake’s side.
He said the rapper’s latest, “Honestly, Nevermind,” is “NOT GOOD.” In 2021, “the internet’s busiest music nerd” gave Drizzle’s “Certified Lover Boy” a “light 3” out of 10. Fantano’s highest rating for the Canadian rapper was for his “If You’re Reading This, It’s Too Late,” which received a “strong 7 to a light 8.”
“I actually like a bulk of this album. Even if this record doesn’t go down as one of Drake’s biggest projects, historically, I think it is my favorite commercial project that he’s dropped so far,” Fantano said in his 2015 review. “If you’re looking for some simple straightforward low-key but very catchy pop rap with a lot of of confidence and a lot of brags, then I would check this record out.”
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