TiaCorine "34Corine" EP Review

By Kaila Cherry

TiaCorine’s path to where she is now was slow, steady, and calculated. Although Corine had been making music since she was in the third grade, it was not until 2018 that the 27 year old rapper would release her breakout single. Her infectiously catchy track “Lotto” took over Tik Tok and Instagram throughout 2019 and garnered praise from big names like SZA, A$AP Rocky, and Drake. However, TiaCorine was not ready to release a full project at the height of her virality. This is an unprecedented and bold move for her. In our current zeitgeist, immediacy has become the norm for everything from album drops to Amazon package deliveries. Yet TiaCorine decided not to ride on the hype and to instead build a solid fan base before putting out her first project. The wait was worth it. At the start of September, TiaCorine released her debut EP 34Corine. Punchy, bubbly, and fun, TiaCorine undoubtly leans into the niche she has created for herself (which she calls “Anime Rap”) and makes it clear to anyone listening that she is worthy of our respect. 

34Corine derives it’s name from the rapper’s hometown of Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Referred to as the tre-fo by locals, TiaCorine’s proximity to the Dirty South, Trap, and East coast hip hop/R&B scenes meld together on the production of her debut project. TiaCorine plays with flow, pitch, and inflecction all throughout the EP. On tracks such as “IYKYK” and “In My Room” she utilizes autotune as a character to accent her “girliness” while subverting what exactly that “girliness” is supposed to encompass. In her sweet pitched up voice, Corine makes it clear that men shouldn’t touch her if they can’t afford her, that she is not here for the “stupid fuck niggas” because she is too “awesome.” Along with being girly and bragadocious, TiaCorine can also be sensual and alluring. The track “34 Faucet” is enchanting with it’s 2000s-esque R&B sound, sweet melodies, and sexually charged lyrics are sure to attract any man she sets her sights on. 

Where TiaCorine shines the brightest, however, is on the tracks where she shows us she can truly rap her ass off. On “30” and “Mine,” Corine flexs her ability to rap fast, coherently, and with vibrant rhymes and clever wordplay. Her humor comes out on lines like “Damn, I just popped a bean/Damn, what’s a bean?” and “Booty too bad, Nickelodeon slime/Got spare change but still look like I’m a dime.” These tracks are the most high energy of the bunch and with them they bring so much carefree fun to the project. “30” and “Mine” are the ideal songs for recording yourself throwing it back in your bedroom, which is perfect for these quarantine times. (PSA from Kaila: Wear you masks and keep 6 feet from others! Damn!) 

34Corine is one of the most refreshing, lighthearted, and addicting EPs to come from an up and coming artists this year. TiaCorine’s name is getting murmurs when it needs to be getting shouts. Don’t be that person who, in a year or two one she blows up, will be thinking “Wasn’t that the girl who made that Tik Tok song?” Instead, be the one who has been there from the start, has followed her growth, and can say “I’m proud to see that TiaCorine is finally getting the recognition she deserves.” That all starts with giving her latest EP a listen. You won’t regret it. 

Favorite Tracks

Mine

30

34 Faucet

Rating: 7

Listen to 34Corine here:

Listen to 34Corine on Spotify. TiaCorine · Album · 2020 · 8 songs.

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Ybn Cordae Paints a Self-Portrait on His Cohesive Debut Album “The Lost Boy”

The 21-year-old rapper was called “The Chosen One” and “Savior of Rap” before his debut album was even announced. Now The Lost Boy has finally arrived with hopes of validating the lofty claims.

By Spencer Lobdell

North Carolina rapper YBN Cordae has been making waves ever since he burst onto the scene in May of 2018 when he remixed J. Cole “1985”. His song, titled “Old Niggas”, responded to the veteran spitter by defending his generation of artists while simultaneously showing that his style aligned more with the emcees he was confronting rather than those he was defending.

Cordae impressed us next upon the release of his group collaborative mixtape YBN: The Mixtape. While the groups most famous rapper was the “Rubbing Off The Paint” sensation, YBN Nahmir, the mixtape rebranded the group as a three-headed-monster with Cordae leading the charge. Solo cuts like “Target”, “Alaska”, and “Kung Fu” assured us that Cordae would last for more than fifteen minutes and increased excitement for a solo project.

Cordae’s name continued to rise as he killed one radio freestyle after another, was placed on XXL’s 2019 freshman list, and received cosigns and guest appearances from industry giants like Dr. Dre, J. Cole, Anderson .Paak, and many others. Last April, to the excitement of his fans, the young rapper took to Twitter to announce his debut album as well as a summer tour that would take place prior to the albums releasee. As Cordae’s buzz got larger, so did the expectations for The Lost Boy. Excellent performances at the BET awards and on Jimmy Fallon was the cherry on top and left the entire rap community wondering a common question: “Can YBN Cordae deliver?”

Last Friday, July 26th, the young emcee finally dropped his debut album The Lost Boy. The tape has fifteen songs and runs for 45 minutes. The album was released under Atlantic Records and boasts impressive features from Chance The Rapper, Anderson .Paak, Pusha T, and Meek Mill.

The album opens with the smooth “Wintertime” which sets the tone for what to expect on The Lost Boy: clever bars, impressive flows, reflective lyrics, and soulful sampled instrumentals.

The second song on The Lost Boy is the first single Cordae released off the album, “Have Mercy”. On the upbeat bop, Cordae flexes a plethora of different flows and some of the cleverest bars we’ve heard this year (“Why cry over spilled milk if you still feel I’m the real deal?
/My bitch bad with no ill-will ‘cause she’ll murk a nigga like Kill Bill
/Loose lips sink ships, Cam’ron pink drip, that is my fashion/
I’m not really with the high flashin’, it’s no helpin’ with my braggin’”). This song also seems to act as the thesis for this album. Cordae can feel that his stock is rising and he is going to be very successful, he’s just praying he’s going about it the right way.

Don’t get fooled by the title of the third song, “Sweet Lawd - Skit” is far more than a skit. The one-minute “Have Mercy” gospel reprise is a perfect way to transition from the upbeat hit back to the soothing relaxed rap that is present on the majority of the project.

Cordae wears his influences on his sleeve with Chance The Rapper being one of the most obvious. This is why “Bad Idea” which features Chance feels so at home on this album. The instrumental is simple with a laid-back piano and some nice vocal harmonies leaving plenty of room for Cordae and Chance to spit some sunny Sunday raps. Chance steals the show with his excellent acid-rap reminiscent second verse.

Chance The Rapper’s influence on The Lost Boy might only be overshadowed by an apparent Kanye West influence that makes itself known on the fifth cut “Thanksgiving”. The song sounds like it could’ve made one of Ye’s first two albums and Cordae is so descriptive that you feel like you’re sitting at the table with YBN asking auntie Cordae to pass the honey baked ham.

The sixth track “RNP” is easily one of the most fun moments on the album. Anderson .Paak brings joy everywhere he goes with his iconic voice and infectious vocal inflections and ad-libs. Both emcees sound amazing over the wide-open instrumental crafted by J. Cole and the back and forth on the second verse is undeniably entertaining.

Cordae turns the heat up to 100 for the seventh song “Broke As Fuck”. The North Carolina rapper opens up and speaks on his hardest days, such as the day his grandma died, the day his cousin was shot, and every day in between when he had no money. The announcement that his frequently aforementioned grandma died at 62 is shocking and hard to stomach after hearing how much she meant to Cordae on “Thanksgiving”. The first two minutes of the song showcases Cordae’s impressive flow and lyrics over a high-energy beat. After two-minutes of in-your-face energy, the beat calms down and the song dives into a melancholy interlude that then transitions into a soulful sampled instrumental that is more in-line with the rest of the album. Cordae reminiscing on listening to “No Problems” in the first verse doesn't only speak to the obvious Chance influence but also reminds us of the articulate emcee’s young age.

“Thousand Words” follows and dives into the topic of social media and its pros and cons. Naming a anti-social media song “Thousand Words” is the exact kind of clever song concepts that I was hoping for when I hit play on The Lost Boy. Cordae makes some convincing points about social media and will have most listeners rethinking how they use Instagram.

On “Way Back Home” Cordae showcases his versatility by introducing us to his smooth singing voice that is an excellent contrast to his classic style of rapping. Everything about this song is relaxing and is the kind of track I’d blast when I’m in desperate need of some de-stressing. Ty Dolla $ign pulls up for the second voice and adds to the chill energy of the ninth track.

One of the most impressive things about The Lost Boy is how Cordae was able to get the absolute best out of an elite group of features. While every single A-List emcee Cordae called upon answered and came with heat, Pusha T just might outshine all the other bright lights on this album. His second verse about his come up is laced with classic cocaine bars he’s become known for and drenched in his patented King Push swagger. Both rappers pull back the curtain on the origin of their rap career and how they developed over their younger years rapping.

Cordae spins Kanye West’s “Family Matters” for the following track with the same name and it gets personal. Cordae’s pain is palpable and you can hear how hard it is for him except the fact that these tragic family conflicts and issues are still occurring even though he is now a popping rapper chasing his dreams. 

The second to last song “We Gon Make It” features Meek Mill and is the most powerful song on the album. Meek delivers with a catchy hook and an excellent verse while validating the song's message of social reform and hope simply by rapping on it. From Cordae’s first bar (“I know how it feels in the late night/swimming with the great whites”) his tone and lyrics hold a certain weight and importance to them which is an early sign of greatness. While almost always extremely humble, Cordae isn’t oblivious to his potential greatness either. On the third verse, Cordae says he’s “Savior of this rap shit, the leader of the renaissance” and at this point in the album, it’s hard to argue with him.

YBN Cordae has finally arrived. The Lost Boy is reflective and polished and exactly the kind of debut the young emcee needed to promise longevity in the rap game. While the entire album is strong, the back half is exceptional making The Lost Boy an extremely captivating listen that only gets better over the course of the 45-minute run time.

Cordae is so impressive because even when his intention for a song is streams and radio play (Have Mercy, Broke As Fuck, etc.) he refuses to compromise his message. Every song is substance-rich and Cordae never raps without meaning behind his bars. Whether it’s asking God to lead him on the right path and referencing Mike Tyson as a symbol of resiliency on the radio-friendly “Have Mercy” or telling the most vivid and heartbreaking stories on the rap-caviar-ready “Broke As Fuck”, Cordae refuses to rap without purpose.

Another serious strength of The Lost Boy is its undeniable cohesion. The project flows beautifully and Cordae sticks to themes of coming of age, the importance of family, and a passion for rapping throughout the entire album. While the instrumentals all deviate greatly in tempo and tone, they all seem to co-exist in the same universe and have specific traits that marry them together. Keeping a narrow lens on a specific thesis throughout an entire album is an art form that is all but lost in 2019, so to hear Cordae execute this feat precisely is just another reason to buy in and ante up on the young rapper.

YBN Cordae’s debut album didn’t come without faults such as the occasional corny bar, but the bad was far overshadowed by the good. One could complain that Cordae is too obvious about his musical influences but I don’t think this is the case. Sonically, he is as Chicago as it gets and totes a heavy Chance/Kanye influence but when this mixes with his North Carolina memories and slight southern drawl it makes for a unique style that I find refreshing and unique from his contemporaries and influences. All-in-all, The Lost Boy is smoothly polished, delivered tastefully, and packed with substance making it one of the stronger releases of 2019. Wherever Cordae chooses to go next, I will happily follow.

Favorite tracks:

RNP (Feat. Anderson .Paak)

Way Back Home (Feat. Ty Dolla $ign)

We Gon Make It (Feat. Meek Mill)

Rating: 8

Listen to The Lost Boy here:

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