Front Burner

Hip-Hop celebrated its 50th anniversary this year. What started out in the South Bronx, became a best-selling, record-breaking, and globally influential art form.

But for a long time, the genre and its innovators were not only debated but often dismissed. We look back at 50 years of art form with rapper and broadcaster Shad.

For transcripts of Front Burner, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/frontburner/transcripts

Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

In 2023, Taylor Swift dominated the music industry. Beyonce had a Renaissance. HBO’s Succession ended. Tina Turner died. Online, we debated how much men think about The Roman Empire and Martin Scorsese went viral on TikTok. But more than anything, there was an extreme amount of pink thanks to Greta Gerwig’s Barbie blockbuster.

For better or worse, what drove pop culture in 2023? And when we look back on the art we consumed this year… What was it that we were collectively looking for?

Culture writer and podcaster Niko Stratis and Elamin Abdelmahmoud, host of CBC’s Commotion, explain.

For transcripts of Front Burner, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/frontburner/transcripts

Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

The trial for Hong Kong media tycoon and pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai began on Monday. Lai is charged under China’s national security legislation, which has been used to crack down on dissenters in the city-state since 2020. Many activists have been prosecuted under the law already, but this is arguably the most high-profile case yet.

Sebastien Lai, Jimmy Lai’s son, joins Front Burner senior producer Elaine Chau for a conversation about the work that led up to his father’s arrest, and what this case might mean for Hong Kong’s future.

For transcripts of Front Burner, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/frontburner/transcripts

Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

Housing Minister Sean Fraser says he’s bringing back a housing idea from the Second World War that helped build over a million homes.

Could catalogues of pre-approved blueprints create more homes, faster?

What other lessons should we be taking from Canada’s post-war housing effort?

How has mass construction of ready-made designs impacted housing in other countries?

Carolyn Whitzman is a housing policy consultant and expert advisor to the Housing Assessment Resource Tools project

For transcripts of Front Burner, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/frontburner/transcripts

Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

Elon Musk kicked off 2023 by losing $200 billion in wealth. And the South African entrepreneur is ending the year with a series of blunders. X, formerly known as Twitter, is absolutely bleeding advertisers. Tesla, once his bread and butter, is facing a massive recall. And Musk’s reputation has shifted from media darling and climate saviour to ill-tempered, eccentric rich guy.

So, what exactly went wrong in 2023? How has Musk derailed his public persona? And is there any hope that the CEO can turn things around in 2024?

Paris Marx, host of the podcast Tech Won’t Save Us, explains.

For transcripts of Front Burner, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/frontburner/transcripts

Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

As fighting in Gaza continues, civilian deaths are rising and those that remain face worsening conditions that include a severe lack of food and clean water, overcrowded shelters, floods and disease. As Canada and other Western nations show their support for a ceasefire, Bushra Khalidi, a policy lead with Oxfam, paints a vivid picture of what she’s hearing from family and colleagues on the ground in Gaza.

For transcripts of Front Burner, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/frontburner/transcripts

Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

Unions in Quebec have united for one of the largest strikes in Canadian history, with more than 6% of Quebec’s population currently on strike.

Is the public blaming unions or Premier François Legault for widespread school closures and delays in healthcare?

How does the unions’ “Common Front” moniker invoke Quebec’s deep history of labour solidarity?

If deals aren’t reached soon, how long could strikes continue?

CBC Montreal journalist Jennifer Yoon explains.

Rap mogul Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ long-time ex-girlfriend Cassie has filed a lawsuit against him, alleging years of sexual assault and physical abuse. She’s not alone. Three other women have filed similar suits. Andre Gee, staff writer at Rolling Stone, joins us to go through the details of the cases and what it could mean for the music industry.

For transcripts of Front Burner, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/frontburner/transcripts

Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is heading to Washington to make a desperate plea for weapons, as a $60 billion military aid package for Ukraine is tangled up in U.S. domestic politics. Meanwhile, trench warfare with Russia grinds on. With international support faltering, and a failed counter-offensive, can Ukraine win its war with Russia?

Francis Farrell, a reporter with The Kyiv Independent, details Ukraine’s dire situation.

For transcripts of Front Burner, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/frontburner/transcripts

Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

Last week at COP28 the Canadian government announced a framework that will put a concrete limit on the amount of CO2 that oil and gas can emit. The idea is to accelerate how quickly Canada reduces its emissions. But the plan has sparked harsh criticism from all sides, including climate activists, the Conservatives, the NDP and oil and gas companies.

How will the cap work? Does it go far enough? Will it impact production? And how does it fit into Canada’s climate targets?

CBC senior writer Aaron Wherry explains.

For transcripts of Front Burner, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/frontburner/transcripts

Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.