What sparked Drake’s latest jab at Anthony Fantano on Instagram?

Drake recently posted a mockery aimed at music critic Anthony Fantano on his Instagram Story. He added many laughing face emojis over a close-up photo of Fantano. This came after Fantano’s past mistakes in resurfaced videos caused backlash. This is the latest move in a long‑running feud.

Drake and Fantano have not seen eye-to-eye for years. In 2022, Fantano released a video joking that the musician had DM’d him a vegan cookie recipe. The rapper quickly responded by sharing the real messages he had sent. In that he wrote,

"Your existence is a light 1. And the 1 is cause you are alive. And cause you somehow wifed a Black girl. I’m feeling a light to decent 1 on your existence."

The root of the issue was Fantano’s review of the album, Honestly, Nevermind. He had rated it “NOT GOOD” instead of giving it a number between 1 and 10. That rating clearly upset the musician. That led to the mock vegan recipe video from Fantano, followed by the posted DMs from him.

What prompted Drake's recent Instagram story?

Recently, old video clips of Anthony Fantano surfaced online showing him using racial slurs and making insensitive jokes. These videos went viral in July and early August 2025. DJ Akademiks shared the content, sparking outrage. Fantano posted an apology on his secondary channel, owning his mistakes and stating he regretted quoting those words.

On August 3, 2025, Drake posted a close-up photo of Fantano with nine laughing emojis over it in his Instagram Story. He offered no further comment or text. Fans took it as him mocking Fantano’s controversy.

The feud’s origin and deep history

Fantano is known as a blunt critic. He often gives Drake lukewarm or negative reviews. For Honestly, Nevermind, he used a unique “NOT GOOD” rating instead of a number. That seemed to bother the rapper.

Fantano then made a video titled “Drake Slid Into My DMs,” claiming he received messages about vegan cookies. He read the recipe out loud as a prank. The rapper reacted by posting the real messages publicly.

In the days that followed, Fantano addressed the leak on social media. He wrote on X, "That b*tch shared the salty ass DM to over 100 million people." He joked about the singer sharing the screenshot and asserted he had no hard feelings. He returned to his usual tone of humor.

Online fans reacted to the rapper's Instagram story with mixed messages. Some saw it as a low‑effort jab or an unnecessary mock. Others thought it was Drake poking fun in a familiar way. Critics noted that the singer chose not to mention the controversy directly and just used the laughing emojis.

Fantano has since posted a full apology about the past racism controversy. He said the clips were taken out of context and that he quoted slurs only to criticize their use. He vowed to avoid doing so again. The rapper did not offer praise or support. Instead, he chose to mock Fantano in the wake of the controversy.

Drake’s jab now adds a new layer. It is not about an album or review. Instead, it uses Fantano’s own public shame against him. For those who were keeping a close eye on their long feud, this is the latest chapter.

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