Anthony Fantano on the Exploitative Music Industry and Zohran's Rap Career
Description
Anthony Fantano is the biggest music critic on YouTube, and the self-described “internet’s busiest music nerd.” The New York Times calls him “The Only Music Critic Who Matters (if You’re Under 25),” and his show The Needle Drop has over 3 million subscribers. Fantano is known for his provocative takes, like “AI Music is Evil” and “Taylor Swift is a Coward.” He joined Current Affairs editor-in-chief Nathan J. Robinson and associate editor Alex Skopic to talk about the state of the music industry, how streaming platforms exploit artists, and whether Zohran Mamdani should rap again.
🎹 The Needle Drop: https://www.youtube.com/theneedledrop
🎹 Fantano: https://www.youtube.com/@fantano
0:00 –7:28 What Right Do Critics Have to Judge Music?
7:28 –10:34 AI Music and How It Uses Artists’ Work
10:34 –17:13 Why So Much Music in 2025 Feels “Mid”
17:13 –23:58 Have Music Critics Become Too Nice?
23:58 –32:29 Censorship, Algorithms, and Political Lyrics
32:29 –37:13 Paying Artists Fairly and Why They Should Unionize
37:13 –40:39 Zohran Mamdani’s Rap Career
40:39 –44:53 Underrated Artists Fantano Recommends
🦩SUBSCRIBE TO CURRENT AFFAIRS MAGAZINE: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership
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🦩THE MYTH OF AMERICAN IDEALISM: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/738224/the-myth-of-american-idealism-by-noam-chomsky-and-nathan-j-robinson/
United States
