Anthony Fantano Rips Drake's "ICEMAN" Apart After Release Hoax

BY Gabriel Bras Nevares
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Anthony Fantano Rips Drake ICEMAN Apart Release Hoax
Nov 2, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Canadian recording artist Drake (center, black outfit) watches the action between the Sacramento Kings and Toronto Raptors at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images / USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect
Anthony Fantano of The Needle Drop previously trolled Drake fans by claiming "ICEMAN" would drop much sooner than expected.

Drake once sent Anthony Fantano of The Needle Drop an angry DM for negatively reviewing his music in very critical fashion. Clearly, their contentious relationship continues. Fantano just dropped off his review for the new album ICEMAN, and it wasn't very charitable to the tracklist.

He gave the new project a two out of ten. Overall, the music critic was not a fan of the content's direction on the LP, meager production, and other factors. Obviously, this either angered OVO fans who think the record deserved a better shot or made folks already aware of Fantano's Drizzy criticisms express unsurprised dismissal and contempt.

The critical reception to Drake's ICEMAN hasn't been pretty, as Pitchfork also gave it a low score of 4.8. However, they did give MAID OF HONOUR an eight, so you can't say they're hating for the love of the game.

Many other fans continue to react to critical takes on the album. But when it comes to the core fanbase, they couldn't be happier with this trilogy.

Drake ICEMAN Review

Many other publications and platforms are reviewing ICEMAN, even if not as formally as the aforementioned Pitchfork and The Needle Drop. DJ Akademiks, for example, reacted to Joe Budden and Charlamagne Tha God's takes on the project on their podcast/radio shows. He thought Budden opened himself up to more money and business by being more praiseful, whereas he thought Charlamagne missed the mark by not focusing on the music enough in favor of old battle narratives.

For those unaware, Drake and Anthony Fantano don't like each other for a lot of reasons. Beyond just musical criticism, they have also clashed over more serious matters. For example, the former trolled the latter amid Fantano's resurfaced use of slurs in old videos, which caused much controversy.

Fans React

More recently, Anthony Fantano claimed to have insider info on Drake's ICEMAN, claiming it would drop well before it actually did. But he later explained he was trolling with that announcement, making fun of the ridiculous and unclear rollout behind this new album. The hate continues on both sides...

About The Author
Gabriel Bras Nevares is a staff writer for HotNewHipHop. He joined HNHH while completing his B.A. in Journalism & Mass Communication at The George Washington University in the summer of 2022. Born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Gabriel treasures the crossover between his native reggaetón and hip-hop news coverage, such as his review for Bad Bunny’s hometown concert in 2024. But more specifically, he digs for the deeper side of hip-hop conversations, whether that’s the “death” of the genre in 2023, the lyrical and parasocial intricacies of the Kendrick Lamar and Drake battle, or the many moving parts of the Young Thug and YSL RICO case. Beyond engaging and breaking news coverage, Gabriel makes the most out of his concert obsessions, reviewing and recapping festivals like Rolling Loud Miami and Camp Flog Gnaw. He’s also developed a strong editorial voice through album reviews, think-pieces, and interviews with some of the genre’s brightest upstarts and most enduring obscured gems like Homeboy Sandman, Bktherula, Bas, and Devin Malik.

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