TLDR: Canadian hip-hop’s 35-year radio legacy—The Masterplan Show, later Generation Next—has ended, a loss explored on CBC’s Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud and guest Dalton Higgins.
Canadian hip-hop has lost a vital voice on community radio. For 35 years, The Masterplan Show—and later its successor, Generation Next—aired every Saturday on Toronto’s CIUT 89.5FM, championing homegrown talent and spotlighting new rap releases. But after Generation Next’s sudden cancellation, the airwaves are noticeably quieter, and the city’s hip-hop community is left reflecting on a legacy decades in the making.
To clarify, The Masterplan Show itself concluded in late 2023 to early 2024 when longtime host DTS (Dave Clarke) departed amid a third-party complaint and investigation. In its place, Philip Valino launched Generation Next, which carried on the iconic Saturday time slot—until CIUT management took the show off the air earlier this year.
The cancellation followed an internal audit after listener complaints about inappropriate content. CIUT claimed to have discovered repeated instances of profanity and misogynistic messaging that violated station policy and risked its CRTC broadcast license. As a result, the station revoked the host’s volunteer privileges and ended Generation Next without warning, citing the host’s veteran status and awareness of station rules.
Even with the controversy, the end of Generation Next closes a 35-year chapter of Canadian hip-hop radio history. The Masterplan Show had been an incubator for Toronto’s hip-hop identity, launching careers, connecting regional scenes, and giving artists a platform in a country where mainstream coverage often fell short. Its abrupt absence has sparked conversations about the fragility of community-driven cultural spaces—and what the future might hold for Canadian hip-hop on the airwaves.
Along with DTS, The Masterplan Show was founded by Motion, Johnbronski and Power. Click here for more information.
