This week, a jury found Duane 'Keffe D' Davis guilty of orchestrating the 1996 killing of Tupac Shakur. Journalist Taryn Finley talks to Elamin Abdelmahmoud about the trial and what the verdict could mean for another case that has captivated hip hop fans for years -- the murder of Notorious B.I.G.

Plus, there's a new album from English R&B singer Cleo Sol, and it might be one of the chillest ones of the year. Fusing soul and gospel underneath Sol’s chiming falsetto, Gentlewoman is a comforting listen that may just lower your blood pressure. Veteran hip hop broadcaster Jay Smooth joins Elamin Abdelmahmoud to talk about the album, and why we could all use a little comfort music right now. 

With the release of ‘Before The World Blows’ the firs full-length album from Erykah Badu in more than a decade - Elamin Abdelmahmoud is joined by culture critics Jamilah Lemieux, Naila Keleta-Mae, and Mark Anthony Neal to discuss the new album and Erykah’s influence on pop culture up to this point.

After an AI-generated cover of a Madonna track topped the national airplay chart in Australia, the music industry has responded by banning AI-created songs from its charts. The move comes as rappers like Tyga and Fenix Flexin are openly admitting to using A.I. in their work, while industry titans like Dr. Dre and Rick Rubin endorse the technology. Music journalist Maura Johnston and writer/rapper Cadence Weapon take stock of how the AI music landscape is shifting.

Plus, Pope Leo XIV has been making international best dressed lists from Vanity Fair to Vogue to the New York Times. How did the American Pontiff manage to put his own spin on the traditional wardrobe worn by the head of the Catholic church — and what message is he trying to communicate? Fashion critic Vanessa Friedman (New York Times) talks about how Pope Leo caught the fashion world’s attention, and reacts to the Met Gala's breaking news about John Galliano.

Commotion guest host Amil Niazi is joined by Black pop academics Professor Mark Anthony Neal, DJ Lynnée Denise and Huda Hassan to look back on the influence of Aaliyah, the singer and actor who occupied multiple worlds and left us with a profound artistic legacy after her tragic death 25 years ago.

We’re used to hearing about things like the auto industry and liquor being sticking points in the Canada-US trade war, but one of the reasons the recent trade talks collapsed was about something less tangible. U.S. negotiators demanded that Canada drop the requirements for streaming companies like Netflix to promote Canadian content. Tech and public policy expert Vass Bednar chats with guest host Amil Niazi about why CanCon ended up being one of Canada’s dealbreakers. 

Plus, there has been so much anticipation about Coyote vs. Acme, and a lot of that has to do with the fact that it nearly didn’t make it to theatres. Despite being shelved by Warner Bros. Discovery for a tax break a few years ago, the critically acclaimed movie is finally out this week. Today, film critic Adam Nayman and journalist Paul Thompson gives us the lowdown on the film, its characters – Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner, and the lore behind it.

Dolly Parton was one of those artists who transcended generations. She gave us hits like Jolene, I Will Always Love You, and Coat of Many Colors. We’ve gathered musician Allison Russell and country-music aficionados Marissa R. Moss and Sarah Boesveld for a group chat with guest host Amil Niazi about the life and legacy of the country-music icon, who died yesterday at the age of 80.

Everywhere you look, news stories and studies suggest people aren’t reading like they used to. At the same time, graphic novels have surged in popularity since the pandemic. Authors Jael Richardson and Arizona O’Neill join guest host Amil Niazi to discuss why people gravitate to graphic novels over text-only books.

Plus, there’s a new play out of Stratford from Canadian playwright Jovanni Sy, and it’s called The Tao of the World. It’s a riff on both the Restoration comedies of the 1700s and modern-day Asian rom-coms. Theatre critic Joshua Chong talks about how this new play updates a centuries-old genre with contemporary guile.

There has never been a post-political life like Justin Trudeau’s. He was Canada’s first real influencer prime minister – a politician whose political fortunes were tied to his celebrity and his pop-cultural currency. And while most former political leaders write a memoir or join a think tank – Justin Trudeau is leaning in hard to fun – travelling the world with his girlfriend Katy Perry, hyping his son’s music career, and doing it all very publicly online, for all of us to see.

Plus, Rachel Cusk, called the “queen of autofiction” by The New Yorker, has a new novel out called ‘Life of M.’ The novel has two main characters, a writer who resembles Cusk and an actor whose resume appears identical to Natalie Portman’s. Montreal writer Heather O’Neill dives into the publishing intrigue around ‘Life of M,’ and how it interrogates fame and anonymity in the lives of two artists.

Commotion guest host Amil Niazi is joined by culture critics Pablo The Don, Reanna Cruz and Jay Smooth to discuss Prince Harry & Meghan Markle's return to the U.K., what the new blockbuster ‘End Of Oak Street’ brings to the dinosaur movie sub-genre, the new album from producer Benny Blanco and the controversy surrounding it - plus the Neutrogena consumer backlash in the wake of the death of actor Hayden Panettiere.

Today marks ten years since The Tragically Hip bid farewell after their final concert in Kingston, Ontario. Music journalist Vish Khanna and music critic Niko Stratis join guest host Amil Niazi to reflect on the Hip’s final performance, and their legacy as one of the most prolific bands in Canadian history. 

Also, writer-director Jane Schoenbrun’s latest film is – Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma. The film is about an independent film director who is rebooting a slasher franchise, and becomes obsessed with casting the original film’s ‘final girl.’ The film is provocative and fantastical, and film critic Kaiya Shunyata joins guest host Amil Niazi to talk about how the film brings a new twist to the slasher genre and whether it lands.