Haida Gwaii-based artist The Bapti$$ (Joseph LaPlante) unveils his debut LP, Pop Cult(Ure), a fierce and unflinching project that strips away the façades of the music industry and digs deep into questions of authenticity, morality, and survival.

Created in collaboration with Saskatchewan producer Matt Stinn, the seven-track record blends 808-driven indie-pop, acoustic textures, alt-pop hooks, and hip-hop grit. At its core, Pop Cult(Ure) is both a cleansing and a reckoning – a baptism of sound that introduces LaPlante’s new artistic chapter after years of success in hip-hop as Joey Stylez.

“I wanted to do something real,” says The Bapti$$. “There are very few artists out there who are their authentic self. This project isn’t about chasing trends or selling out to fit into a machine that lacks morals. God made me into a man who wins, or loses, my way.”

Title track and lead single, “Pop Cult(Ure),” lays out the mission statement. Written from years of watching the industry distort people’s characters and compromise their integrity, the song fuses sharp lyricism with layered production and haunting melodies. “The music industry is a small group of puppet masters who all pat one another’s backs and give each other tummy rubs,” The Bapti$$ explains. “I’m cool on all that. I am a man with principles. Even in my past life, when I was active in a dark world that very few escape, I never lost track of who I truly am.”

With its stripped-back arrangement and mantra-like lyrics, the track feels like both a confession and a battle cry. “I lost track of how many crosses I’ve inked on my skin,” says The Bapti$$. “Now with Christ my saviour leading the way, like a sword of fire and shield of lightning, I feel like I can take on the whole world myself.”