Bitter Melons: A Catalog of Anthony Fantano's Worst Rap Takes

Graphic by Louis Zhu

By: Alex Wojcik

Anthony Fantano, a.k.a the Internet’s Busiest Music Nerd, is one of rap’s most influential voices when it comes to music reviews. However, his content has not always struck the right chord with fans of all genres across the web. Despite the obvious subjectivity of his reviews, the writers at Mixtape have picked out some of our least favorite Fantano takes and tweaked their scores.

My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy by Kanye West (2010)

Fantano Score: Light 6

This is probably Fantano’s most controversial score, and even more so when considering how he reviewed it twice with no change. Fantano praised Kanye’s ambition as a producer and songwriter on the critically-acclaimed project but disliked the simplicity of some of the hooks, such as the ones on “Hell of a Life” and “So Appalled.” Fantano also disliked Kanye’s storytelling for its lack of relevance and appeal compared to the dramatic instrumentals he raps over. He adds that he personally is not interested in Kanye ranting about what he wishes his life was like over six-minute tracks. 

However, Kanye’s imagination and vulnerability is what makes this album so special. “Gorgeous” and “Devil in a New Dress” contain arguably Kanye’s most poetic and complex bars. The maximalist production heard on tracks like “Power” and “All of the Lights” with its interlude prove the new heights Ye was able to reach with this project in composition, sampling, features, and just about every category possible. Despite some of its over-the-top lyrics, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy was Kanye’s best answer to the critics questioning what was going through his mind following all of his antics through the 2000s, and is one of the greatest hip-hop albums of all time.

Mixtape Score: Decent 9

Whole Lotta Red by Playboi Carti (2020)

Fantano Score: Strong 5

This probably wouldn’t have made the list if Fantano had not also reviewed this album twice. But giving it the same score as the first time in what was most likely an April Fools prank warrants it being here. Fantano disliked much of the production due to its poor mixing and lack of thematic consistency across all 24 songs, claiming that the album’s bold ideas would be more appreciated than their execution. Upon first listen, even some of the diehard vamps might have agreed with the score. 

But following its massive influence on the state of early 2020 rap, Whole Lotta Red has proven to be far more than its first impressions. The album is perfectly crafted to its punk concert, moshpit vision with its booming instrumentals, abrupt transitions, and repetitive, anthemic hooks. Carti’s effort in popularizing one of the most essential subgenres in hip-hop as of late deserves far more credit than Fantano gives it, as the production highlights overshadow its flaws tremendously.

Mixtape Score: Strong 7

Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight by Travis Scott (2016)

Fantano Score: Light 3

Fantano called this album underwhelming and just a bunch of Rodeo B-sides. After listening to these albums back-to-back, comparing Rodeo’s analog, industrial concepts to Birds in the Trap’s digital synth sound, it’s easy to say that this is one of Fantano’s most inaccurate takes. The only things the two albums have in common are Travis’s signature autotune and a couple featured artists. However, the sound change does not discount the LP’s quality. Songs like “way back” with its distorted bassline and tireless bars and “goosebumps'' with its eerie, pitch-bending beat that never gets old highlight the project’s energy and Travis's enthusiasm. Fantano also claimed that the features do not add to the tracklist. But it's hard to tell where that opinion came from after hearing Andre 3000’s tone-setting verse on “the ends,” Quavo’s verse on “pick up the phone” (which was easily better than his verse on Rodeo), and Nav’s best verse ever on “beibs in the trap.” Birds in the Trap may not have been as adventurous as its predecessor, but it is still a solid album with some of Travis’s top tracks in his entire discography.

Mixtape Score: Light 7

Luv is Rage 2 by Lil Uzi Vert (2017)

Fantano Score: Decent 3

The biggest complaint Fantano gave about Lil Uzi Vert’s first studio album was its inconsistent vocals, claiming that it seemed like Uzi was attempting to mimic other popular rappers from the 2010s. On some of the tracks like “444+222,” Fantano cites Desiigner and Young Thug as two of these influences. However, it’s hard to understand how an artist’s work can be discredited for experimenting with vocal inflections different from their signature sound. It may not follow the traditional album format, but Uzi’s display of versatility should be viewed as ambitious as he jumps from impressive vocal performances on tracks like “Two®” and “XO TOUR Llif3” to delivering straight bars on “Sauce It Up.” Fantano also bashes Uzi’s lack of depth in his lyrics. This is a semi-understandable statement as Uzi’s music has always consisted of the same themes of materialism and status. But with that being said, the highlights of Luv is Rage 2 contain easily his best storytelling and most personal works to date on songs like “The Way Life Goes,” where Uzi learns that money can’t always buy love, and “20 Min,” where he details his relationship with a girl he met briefly at his concert. Luv is Rage 2 shows the great lengths of Uzi’s creativity as an artist and is easily his best project to date.

Mixtape Score: Strong 6

Yeezus by Kanye West (2013)

Fantano Score: Light 5

After listening to Fantano bash Kanye’s lackluster, autotuned vocals for the first 10 minutes of the review and then claim that Kid Cudi is a worse singer than Kanye, who could have just sung the bridge of “Guilt Trip” himself, it was really hard to tell if Anthony was being serious. Fantano also had a strong disdain for Kanye’s lyricism, asserting that his ego overshadows the forward-thinking moments due to his dramatic and aggressive delivery. There are some instances where Kanye delivers overly out-of-pocket verses, one example being on “New Slaves” where he goes into heavy detail on what he would do to the CCA workers’ “Hampton spouse.” On the other hand, Ye’s animated personality having a strong influence on his lyrics emphasizes the provocative character that is Yeezus. On the same song, Kanye raps about his idea of capitalism and corporate control of artists as modern slavery, and how he refuses to let anyone control him. Yeezus’s dynamic array of themes are impressively delivered in Kanye’s storytelling, as he is able to jump from powerful tracks like “Black Skinhead,” where Kanye tells about his anger toward Black stereotypes, to tragic ballads like the comically-sentimental “Bound 2,” where he discusses his troubles finding a long-term relationship because of his reputation. Along with its incredible, transformative production, Yeezus is an absolute classic and one of the best “experimental” projects of the early 21st century.

Mixtape Score: Decent 8