“Bros the originator of rage baiting”- Netizens react as Anthony Fantano rates Travis Scott’s new album 'JACKBOYS 2' a “light 2”

On July 15, 2025, music critic Anthony Fantano uploaded his review of Travis Scott's JackBoys 2 on his YouTube channel, theneedledrop. JackBoys 2 is the follow-up compilation project from Travis Scott’s Cactus Jack label.

In his 15-minute review, Fantano said the album doesn’t feel like a true JackBoys group project and seems more like leftover tracks from Travis Scott and Don Toliver’s solo work. While there are some strong collaborations between Travis, Sheck Wes, and Toliver, he felt much of the second half sounded like unfinished demos. He gave the album a “light 2” rating.

Fans and hip-hop lovers have reacted to the review, with some calling Fantano's review "ragebait."

"Bros the originator of rage baiting"

Some other fans chimed in with similar opinions.

"Y’all still falling for this guys ragebait?", an X user commented under the post by NFR Podcast.

"me personally I just think Fantano is a professional ragebaiter", a fan said, quote tweeting the post by NFR Podcast.

"Remember guys, he rated DBR and Birds in the Trap a 3 too so you should not take this rating serious", another fan said in the quotes.

However, some people spoke out in support of Fantano's review and expressed some disappointment over Travis Scott's latest release.

"I watched the entire review - makes complete sense and a lot of his arguments were on point - this is fair", a graphic designer and fan on X said in the replies

"He’s really not wrong on this one", another X user commented.

"fair, so goddamn disappointing ." another X user commented under the post by NFR Podcast.

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More about Anthony Fantano's review of Travis Scott's new album, JackBoys 2

Fantano opened the video by asking, “What is the point of JackBoys?” and talked about the collective’s origins during the late 2010s. He noted that the group was launched at a time when Travis Scott had released Rodeo, Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight, and Astroworld, and described Scott as one of the most in-demand artists in the world at that time.

Fantano said that JackBoys appeared to be Scott’s attempt to build a rap collective in the tradition of Young Money, GOOD Music, or Maybach Music. He referred to early signings like Don Toliver and Sheck Wes, and said that the 2019 JackBoys project was brief and mostly supported by features from artists such as Offset, Quavo, Pop Smoke, and Lil Baby.

According to Fantano, the group’s trajectory since then has stalled, saying that Don Toliver is the only artist from the roster to consistently release solo material. He also mentioned Sheck Wes, Sofaygo, and Wally the Sensei, stating that the label has not maintained collective momentum in recent years.

Fantano also raised several possible explanations, including Travis Scott’s creative workload, COVID, the Astroworld incident, and a lack of label support.

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What Fantano said about the tracks in JackBoys 2

Anthony Fantano talked about Champagne and Vacay as the first full track, calling it “nearly unlistenable” because of the loud Waka Flocka Flame ad-libs. He also pointed out a brief lyrical reference to Pusha T and questioned why it was included.

On the following track, 2000 Excursion, Fantano said that Travis Scott’s lyrics give the impression that “he doesn’t give a f***,” and argued that the album lacks the “bells and whistles” found on previous Travis Scott releases. He also commented on Don Toliver’s performance, calling one chorus “tacked the hell on,” and described Sheck Wes’s vocals as “sleepy.”

Fantano also talked about songs like Kick Out, which only features 21 Savage in ad-libs, and Where Was You, featuring Playboi Carti and Future. He commented on BBC, noting Travis Scott’s vocals and the song’s mix of Afropiano and dancehall, with features from Tyla and Vybz Kartel. He also discussed Shine, highlighting verses from Scott and GloRilla.

JackBoys 2 was released on July 13, 2025, through Cactus Jack and Epic Records. The 17-track album is now available on all major streaming platforms.