Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud

Culture writer Mel Woods, author/rapper Rollie Pemberton aka Cadence Weapon, and Exclaim editor Megan LaPierre join the Group Chat to discuss B.C. pop star Carly Rae Jepsen’s long-awaited double-album return; how Drake’s new short film factors into his current comeback campaign; and why this year’s Emmy Awards telecast felt a lot more Canadian than usual.

On Monday, news broke that Macklemore was dropped from Ed Sheeran’s North American tour after the rapper made pro-Palestinian comments on stage. Multiple venus dropped Macklemore. In a statement, Sheeran said he is "appalled by the conflict between Israel and Palestine," calling the suffering on "both sides" a "human tragedy," but defended his choice not to take a public stance. In response, every other musician on the tour, including Sheeran’s backing band, have pulled out. Culture critics Jay Smooth, Sara Yasin, and Niko Stratis join Elamin Abdelmahmoud to break down what happened and what it says about this moment.

Just as Stella Lefty’s music career started to go right, things took a turn. The up-and-coming singer-songwriter’s hit song Boston has been unavoidable this summer, but so has the criticism about her billionaire father, her country sound despite being from Chicago, and her biggest song’s similarities with Noah Kahan’s Stick Season. The New York Times culture reporter and Popcast co-host, Joe Coscarelli and Vulture writer Fran Hoepfner explain who Stella Lefty is exactly, and why she’s turning so many heads.

Plus, Elamin is joined by C.T. Jones to discuss season 1 of the Netflix reality series ‘Earle Meets World’ about the life of a Gen Z influencer. C.T. gets into whether the series offers anything new to the celebrity family reality show format.

For years, parents have relied on Netflix as a source for quality children’s-television programming, particularly as YouTube has become increasingly dominant in the kids-media space with influencer-driven content. However, now some of that YouTube-spawned content is turning up in Netflix’s menu of kids programming, and TV critic Kathryn VanArendonk and digital policy analyst Vass Bednar explain why parents are seriously upset by this shift.

Plus, Justin Trudeau recently announced he's starting up a new production company called Hope & Hard Work, focusing on Canadian content. Culture critic Nicholas Quah joins guest host Amil Niazi to talk about the former Canadian Prime Minister’s new venture, and what lessons can be learned from similar media companies created by Barack and Michelle Obama, and Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the Duke and Duchess of ‌Sussex.

For a while it seemed like Celine Dion might never sing again. She was diagnosed with a rare neurological condition four years ago. But she is SO back – and what a time it is to be a Canadian cultural icon with a comeback story for the ages. Elamin Abdelmahmoud meets up with Eugénie Lépine-Blondeau, host of Radio-Canada's Admission Générale podcast and Benjamin Locoge, Editor In Chief for Culture of Paris Match, the morning after Celine Dion’s first concert in Paris.