By Aparmita Das
SHILLONG:
Raphael Laloo, an artiste from Shillong, focuses on telling stories through his songs. The rapper gained popularity with his socially aware debut record, Wasted, which addressed the issue of drug abuse that has turned into a problem in the capital city of Meghalaya. Raphael is now here with his most recent single, Poison Ivy.
The rapper does not shy away from broaching contentious subjects in his music and enjoys broadening his lyrical and musical horizons with each new release, and Poison Ivy, is thus evidence of his will to constantly improve.
A toxic and twisted connection, which is a fairly regular occurrence in the present era, is the subject of Poison Ivy. “Although the narrative is not yours, it feels very personal,” says Raphael, the protagonist of this story, who uses his persuasive voice to drive the listeners into a state of melancholy. The song concerns a bond between a couple that is ready to break apart at the first sight of hardship. This puts them both to feed off of the negative energy between each other. “We pick our poison because, at the end of the day, people are only bad if we let them be,” Raphael explains.
Together with Benison Mylliemngap, alias Ben Music, he co-produced Poison Ivy. The two have previously worked together on the songs Lala and Paper, which Raphael considers to be key chronicles of his life. “I’m delighted we were able to collaborate on these projects, and I can now add Poison Ivy to that list,” he adds.
The rapper claims that Poison Ivy gave him the motivation to stage a comeback, although he has recently appeared in features and collaborations. “Poison Ivy is the first beat I made after Butterfly Heartbreak. I took a break soon after and didn’t resume writing again for about a year. Even before I got the lyrics for the song, I knew it was going to be a great song. To be honest, I truly adore how it turned out and think it is one of my best songs to date,” says Raphael.
Jowai born Raphael was raised in the capital city of Meghalaya. Due to the avid audiophiles on both sides of his family, music has always been a part of his life, and he began writing songs at the age of 10. “I enrolled in the commerce stream after passing my tenth board exam, but I continued to explore music on the side with support from my father, who was funding my home studio at the time. It was at that point that I learned how to record and mix songs,” Raphael told The Meghalayan.
However, Raphael could not continue through his Bachelor’s and started working at a job at the beginning of the pandemic to be self-sufficient and support his family. “Currently, I balance working, supporting my father’s business, and pursuing my musical dreams, and I am also signed with the record label TMPros.”
Raphael is not under any pressure to uphold the standards set by other Meghalayan musicians because for him, his competitor is the reflection in the mirror. According to the rapper, being overly open about future ambitions invites individuals to direct negative energy. “Good things take time and talking is cheap, all I can advise is to be patient and wait for the results,” he says. The musician is eager for the completion of a few tracks that are scheduled for release but do not yet have titles because they are still in the production stage.
“My songs are my legacy and each song I release is a testament to how much I have grown and evolved,” Raphael says. Even though his songs exude confidence, Raphael Laloo is a modest individual who is working to establish a standard for budding musicians from his state, region, and country.
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