Shillong rapper Raphael Laloo’s new release ‘Poison Ivy’ is a tale on toxic relationships

Storytelling is at the heart of Raphael Laloo’s music. The Shillong-based rapper had picked up steam with ‘Wasted’, his socially conscious debut single which spoke of ‘drug abuse’, an issue which has turned into a menace in the capital city of Meghalaya.

The rapper does not refrain from touching controversial topics in his music and he likes to expand his horizon in terms of lyricism and sound with every new release.

Raphael Laloo’s latest single, ‘Poison Ivy’ is about a toxic and twisted relationship, a phenomenon quite common in the modern age. The story is not yours yet it feels so relatable. It is a testament of the artist’s hunger for constant evolution. Although the rapper has made appearances in features and collaborations in recent times, he said it was ‘Poison Ivy’ which instilled in him the fuel to make a comeback.

“Poison Ivy is the first beat I made after ‘Butterfly Heartbreak’. I went on a hiatus soon after and got back to writing only a year later or so. I knew it was going to be a great song even before I had the lyrics to it and to be honest, I really love how it turned out and it’s definitely one of my best songs so far,” he added.

At the core of this tale about love is Raphael Laloo, who will drive you into a state of melancholy with his persuasive sound. “It is about a couple so vulnerable that they are ready to fall apart at the slightest inconvenience. This puts them both to feed off of the negative energy between each other. At the end of the day we pick our own poison because people are only bad if we let them be,” he said describing the song.

“My songs are my legacy and each song I release is a testament to how much I’ve grown and evolved,” said Raphael who draws inspiration from the likes of $uicideboy$ and Joji. He has co-produced, ‘Poison Ivy’ ’with his frequent collaborator Benison Mylliemngap aka Ben Music.

The talented producer has an ear that helps elevate any track and make it pop. The duo has previously collaborated on tracks- Lala and Paper. “I consider them to be major chronicles in my life and I would not have been able to do it without him. I’m glad we got to work on these projects together and now I can also add Poison Ivy to that list,” added Raphael Laloo.

Raphael does not feel the pressure of living by the standards set by other musical acts from Meghalaya. For him, his competition stands in front of the mirror.

Speaking about his future plans, Raphael Laloo shared: “Good things take time and talking is cheap, disclosing too much about future plans is an invitation for people to direct negative energy so all I can say is to be patient and time will tell. There are a few songs that I’ve lined up for release but there’s no title for them yet as they are still in the production phase and I am excited for them to be finished.”

Although his music reeks of confidence and magnanimity, Raphael Laloo is a modest character who is on a journey to set a benchmark for aspiring musicians from his state, region and country.