Anthony Fantano is an American YouTuber and music critic born on October 28, 1985. He is known for his YouTube channel, “The Needle Drop.” After beginning his career in the mid-2000s as a music director for a college radio station, Fantano started hosting “The Needle Drop” in 2007 during his time working at W.N.P.R. As of 2022, Fantano has a combined four million subscribers on both “The Needle Drop” and “Fantano” YouTube channels. The YouTube star discusses and reviews various music genres on his channels. Let’s celebrate his birthday by looking back at his inspiring journey.
Fast Facts
Full Name:
Anthony Fantano
Birth date:
October 28, 1985
Age:
38 years, 5 months
Zodiac Sign:
Scorpio
Height:
6' 0.8"
Relationship Status:
Married
Net Worth:
$1.0 million
Background
Anthony Fantano was born in Connecticut, New England, on October 28, 1985. The Sicilian-American spent most of his teenage years in Wolcott, New Haven. He is a fan of Dead Kennedys’ ex-lead singer, Jello Biafra. His career began in the mid-2000s when he worked for the Southern Connecticut State University (S.C.S.U.) as the music director of their college radio station.In 2007, Fantano worked for the Connecticut Public Radio (W.N.P.R.), where he hosted “The Needle Drop,” also launching the program through written reviews. He created “The Needle Drop” YouTube channel in 2009. Fantano began by posting a series of video reviews, starting with a record of Jay Reatard. A year later, he removed his older reviews, which contained music clips, to avoid infringing on copyrights (D.M.C.A.). At the time, while working on “The Needle Drop,” Fantano was also moonlighting at a pizza restaurant. By 2016, Fantano began posting content regularly on his secondary YouTube channel, “thatistheplan,” to earn enough money so he could pay Austin Walsh, his editor. The channel’s contents revolved around meme reviews and other miscellaneous videos that didn’t fall into the record review format.Fantano’s secondary channel faced controversy in October 2017 when “The Fader” published an article accusing Fantano of promoting alt-right sentiments in one of his videos, causing numerous scheduled voices calling for “The Needle Drop” tour to be canceled. Fantano posted a video in response, referring to the article as a “hit job.” The article was eventually deleted by “The Fader,” after which both parties stated they had settled the claims. Despite these issues, Fantano had gained one million subscribers by the end of the year. In 2019, Fantano created “The Needle Drop L.P.,” a charity compilation consisting of artists who have been featured or received favorable reviews in the past.
Career timeline
Fantano begins his career as the music director for a college radio station at S.C.S.U.
Fantano starts hosting “The Needle Drop” on W.N.P.R.
Fantano launches “The Needle Drop’s” YouTube channel.
Fantano gathers more than one million subscribers.
Fantano creates “The Needle Drop L.P.” and donates all the profits to the Immigrant Legal Resource Center.
Anthony Fantano FAQs
Who is Anthony Fantano’s wife?
Fantano is married to Dominique Boxley.
Is Anthony Fantano’s wife black?
Boxley is of African American descent.
Why did Anthony Fantano become a vegan?
The YouTube star was overweight and was frequently made fun of as a teen. So, he started exercising and following a strict vegan diet to lose weight.
5 Surprising Facts
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He wanted to be a cartoonist
Young Fantano used to dream of becoming a cartoonist, inspired by his love for animated series like “The Simpsons.”
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He has an alter-ego
Aside from doing music reviews, Fantano also has a musical artist alter-ego with the stage name “Cal Chuchesta,” releasing one mixtape and 12 singles between 2015 and 2020.
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He has millions of views
Fantano’s channels have more than 900 million views.
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He made a cameo appearance
Fantano made a cameo appearance in Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road” remix as a security guard in Area 51.
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He’s vegan
Fantano switched to a vegetarian diet in his late teens.
Why We Love Anthony Fantano
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He’s the most popular music critic
Fantano has brought an “old art to a new medium,” revitalizing the record review format so it could better attract the attention of the younger music consumer generation. He has single-handedly raised the sales of musical records.
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He defends free speech
Fantano is vocal about social justice issues. He told the “Polygon” in a 2018 interview that he is a “free speech purist.”
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He has worked hard
Once Fantano discovered his passion, he kept on it despite the initial hardships. Every small achievement boosted him, making him want to do better and work harder until he reached his goal.
Anthony Fantano’s birthday dates
| Year | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | October 28 | Friday |
| 2023 | October 28 | Saturday |
| 2024 | October 28 | Monday |
| 2025 | October 28 | Tuesday |
| 2026 | October 28 | Wednesday |
