Last week, notorious Falling in Reverse figurehead Ronnie Radke started a war of words with notorious music reviewer Anthony Fantano of The Needle Drop, the self-proclaimed “Internet’s Busiest Music Nerd It happened after Fantano gave a negative review to Falling in Reverse’s new song, “Watch the World Burn,” which dropped as a single late last month. As Falling in Reverse fans might expect, Radke didn’t take kindly to Fantano’s criticism.
In his Monday (Feb. 6) review roundup video of various new singles, Fantanto called the Falling in Reverse track a “really bad rap-metal song where it kinda sounds like [the rapper] Tom MacDonald but without the racism, and Eminem but without the talent.”
The critic added, “The bars are cringe and super terrible and difficult to bear. And kinda the metal transition it goes into toward the end of the track is gross and tacky as fuck. Yeah, I hope I don’t have to listen to this track too many more times before I end up in the grave.”
See Fantano’s review at 6:19 in the clip below.
On Thursday (Feb. 10), Radke, Falling in Reverse’s founder and vocalist, tweeted The Needle Drop is “like the Perez Hilton of music critics, looks 25 years older than he is and nobody will care about him in 3 years.”
Not to be outdone, Fantano replied by sharing two sets of photos of he and Radke, tweeting, “over the past decade, I objectively look like I’ve put on fewer years than Mr. Radke,” adding, “I think I’m winning” Radke responded, “The funny thing about the right pic as opposed to the blonde pic, the blonde pic is 5 years later than the right pic of me. HAHAHAHAHAHA YOU [WERE] BORN LOOKING OLD.”
Fantano: “You look like that after 5 years??? what’s your secret? cocaine?” Radke replied, “Well truthfully the right picture was taken in 108 degree weather in an Arizona parking lot on stage. The other was taken 5 years later in a room you are literally 3 years younger than me.” Fantano said, “he admitted the gap between the pics is 5 years.”
Continuing the back-and-forth, Radke alleged The Needle Drop’s followers were “paid bots from India.. at least they better be.” The musician added, “We all know what happens to mostly negative critic YouTubers, another YouTuber will make a video called ‘what happened to Anthony Fantano’ in 2 years tops.”
Then, referencing an online dust-up that occurred earlier this year between Fantano and the rapper Drake, the reviewer tweeted, “this is nowhere near as cool as the drake feud. i’ll admit it… i’ll do better next time guys.”
See the tweets below. Watch the music video underneath. Last month, Radke — never one to shy away from mincing words — reignited his feud with Attila’s Chris “Fronz” Fronzak.
.@theneedledrop is like the Perez Hilton of music critics, looks 25 years older than he is and nobody will care about him in 3 years
— RonnieRadke (@RonnieRadke) February 9, 2023
over the past decade, i objectively look like i’ve put on fewer years than Mr. Radke. and i’ve had fewer trips through the legal system as well.
— anthony “light 1” fantano (@theneedledrop) February 9, 2023
i think i’m winning. 😘✌️ https://t.co/4BZOFuH7bm pic.twitter.com/BDhIZMZUwC

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