Featured image courtesy of @itsoktobesober
TiaCorine’s debut album, CORINIAN, is a study in controlled chaos—confident, eclectic, and fully realized. Released on Oct. 10, the 17-track project features a roster of collaborators that includes Flo Milli, Saweetie, Wiz Khalifa, Smino, J.I.D., and Pouya, with production credits from Kenny Beats, Hit-Boy, and others. Across the album, Tia navigates an expansive sound palette, blending her signature “anime trap” with elements of funk-rap, post-punk, R&B, reggaeton, and psychedelic pop. The result is a record that is both adventurous and accessible, shifting seamlessly between moods, tempos, and textures while never losing its cohesion.
I caught CORINIAN live for the first time at the P&P One Night Only show in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and the experience felt like stepping into a space built entirely around the album’s energy. The warehouse was packed but intimate, smoke curling lazily under low, colored lights that shifted between deep purples and soft golds. Fans leaned into every beat. They moved in tandem with the music’s unpredictable rhythms, while Tia commanded the stage with precision and playful ease, interacting effortlessly with the audience without ever losing control of the performance. Songs like FreakyT landed alongside the new material seamlessly, grounding the set while allowing the fresh tracks to unfold their full textures.
At moments when the lights softened and the bass throbbed low, the space seemed to breathe in rhythm with the album itself. In true release fashion, Tia’s sound seemed to carry the entire room. Immersive, layered, and euphoric—it was the perfect way to meet a record that demands to be experienced fully.
From the first track, Pretty with Saweetie, the album establishes a tone of assured flamboyance. Tia’s delivery alternates between playful melodic runs and sharp cadence, riding a polished, buoyant beat. Saweetie matches her energy with precision, each line bouncing with confidence and swagger. It’s a track that feels designed to prelude to a night out or backtrack a moment of private indulgence.
Ironic hits with trippy, off-kilter production, with Tia’s voice weaving between playful flexes and sudden bursts of intensity. On Was Hannin, Wiz Khalifa drifts through the groove with his signature laid-back swagger, the funk-tinged beat giving space for Tia’s rhythms to snap and bend. The song feels like an extended exhale—a moment that subtly nods to the slow rhythm of shared smoke sessions. It’s easy to imagine that track unfolding over a late-night joint.
The album reaches its most introspective on Impossible Girl, where ethereal synths and airy vocal layers create a wonderfully contemplative noise. Tracks like Fall in Love invite reflection, featuring layered production and subtle shifts in tone. These moments are balanced by more kinetic passages, like Lotion or Backyard with J.I.D. This is where rhythmic precision and melodic energy keep the momentum alive without overwhelming the listener.
Other tracks, like the single Different Colored Stones and Crush, offer whimsical, playful turns, showing Tia’s ability to blend lyrical dexterity with infectious hooks, making the album feel as dynamic as the night it premiered. Buttercup stands out for its post-punk edge, introducing shadowy textures into an otherwise maximalist soundscape.
Overall, CORINIAN doesn’t follow a linear narrative. Instead, it curates a sequence of moods, textures, and emotional states meant to be felt as much as heard. The collaborations themselves are revelatory as well. Smino’s harmonically rich contributions on High Demand, Wiz’s effortless cool, and Flo Milli’s punchy, fearless flow each add layers of color and personality. This makes the album feel both expansive and carefully balanced.
As the third installment in her trilogy (following 2022’s I Can’t Wait and 2024’s Almost There EP), CORINIAN represents Tia at her “final form.” She frames the album as the result of years of stylistic exploration, personal growth, and meticulous attention to detail. “If you pay attention to the artwork of the projects, you can see a pink aura in the background. That place is everything Tia wanted to be,” she stated in a press release. “Now I’m here. There’s no fear. No doubt. No second-guessing. I’ve reached my final form.”
Hearing it live, it was easy to see how that “final form” translates into sound.
CORINIAN is an album of contrasts. It’s expansive yet intimate, maximalist yet refined, playful yet technically sophisticated. It rewards repeated listening, revealing new sounds, lyrics, and moments of brilliance each time. Most of all, it confirms TiaCorine as one of the most versatile and compelling voices in contemporary rap. Experiencing it live in the haze and energy of a Brooklyn warehouse only made its depth and range more clear. It’s the perfect soundtrack for a season that’s equal parts warmth, reflection, and lift.
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