Articles · Hot Take
Fantano Gave Nine Vicious a 0/10. Every Underground Artist Should Read Why.
The Set Newsroom · Wed Sep 16 2026
The internet's busiest music nerd gave Nine Vicious a zero. The review is brutal, but it doubles as a checklist of mistakes every independent artist can avoid.
Anthony Fantano just gave Nine Vicious's new album Sedition a 0 out of 10. The review video pulled more than 100,000 views within its first day. If you're an independent artist, that combo is the whole lesson: a zero still got attention, but attention isn't the same as fans who stick around.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpfwki3ZvNo
What happened
On September 16, 2026, theneedledrop posted its review of Sedition, the Georgia rapper's third full-length project this year, released through Create Music Group. Fantano called Nine Vicious "one of the most notable figures in the underground" right now, then scored the album a flat zero.
His one-line summary in the video description: "One of the worst things you could ever put in your ears." Favorite tracks: none.
Why Fantano says it failed
Strip away the insults and the review is a checklist of mistakes any artist can make:
- Chasing someone else's lane. Fantano says Nine Vicious toned down the distorted, aggressive sound that built his name and went for smoother, autotuned Young Thug-style flows he couldn't pull off.
- Generic production. He called the trap beats "thin" with "no flavor" and the synths "cheap sounding."
- Borrowed flows. "Nearly every good idea that he has flow-wise on this record feels borrowed from something else."
- Ad-libs with no purpose. A great ad-lib fits the line or the moment. Fantano says these were just noise over everything.
- Shock instead of substance. He pointed to lyrics built to provoke, and to a history of what he called "clout chasing."
The catch nobody puts in the headline
This review will probably send more people to Sedition than a quiet 6/10 would have. Controversy moves views. So why not chase it?
Because views you get from people laughing at you don't buy tickets, merch or early drops. Rage-clicks can pay for a week. A fan base pays for a career.
Speed without a sound
Three full-length projects in one year sounds like hustle. But Fantano's biggest problem wasn't the pace. It was that he couldn't find anything on the album that was Nine Vicious. Releasing more only helps when every drop makes your sound clearer, not blurrier.
What to do this month
- Write down your sound in one sentence. If a new song doesn't fit it, it's a leak, not a lead single.
- Test big switch-ups small. Try a new style as a single or a loosie first. Don't bet a full project on it.
- Upgrade one thing per release. Better beats, better mix, better vocal chain. Our mixing and mastering and beats are built for exactly this.
- Make every ad-lib earn its spot. If it doesn't push the line forward, cut it.
- Build fans who pay, not just people who watch. Put your music, merch and shows on a page you own, and let real supporters sell your music for you.
Where The Set fits
The Set exists so independent artists can grow without chasing outrage: your own page, your own store, 80% of every sale, and fans who get rewarded for putting people on. Start free, or see what a full team looks like with VIP.
A zero from the internet's busiest music nerd is loud. A fan who buys everything you drop is louder.
Questions
What did Fantano rate Nine Vicious's Sedition?
Anthony Fantano (theneedledrop) gave Sedition a 0/10 in his review posted September 16, 2026, and listed no favorite tracks.
Why did Sedition get a 0/10?
Fantano said the album chased a Young Thug-style sound Nine Vicious couldn't pull off, with generic trap beats, cheap synths, borrowed flows, purposeless ad-libs and shock lyrics.
Does a bad review hurt an independent artist?
It can bring short-term views, but attention from people laughing isn't fan support. Long careers come from fans who buy music, merch and tickets.