“Crazy that I got a crib with no deal, living off of streaming money and features from a two-minute song with NO project,” rising rapper TiaCorine posted on Instagram. The caption was accompanied by two photos of the Winston-Salem native posing in front of a newly purchased craftsman-style house. TiaCorine’s road to stardom has allowed her to reach a goal most independent rappers dream of. Toward the end of 2018, she dropped “Lotto,” a single that has amassed well over four million plays on Spotify. It changed the trajectory of her budding career, ultimately landing her a deal with South Coast Music Group, the Charlotte-based label who propelled DaBaby’s success. When speaking with the Winston Salem rapper, her rockstar energy is evident and it’s clear she doesn’t care what people think. “I’m real animated, like almost like an anime character. But I’m a regular person throughout the day [slight pause] somewhat. I don’t wanna say I have like super superpowers, but I feel like a hero,” she said. In May of 2019, TiaCorine graduated from Winston-Salem State University with honors and a degree in Exercise Physiology. The same year, she won “Best Female Hip-Hop Artist” at the Carolina Music Awards. With her ardent spirit, many would agree that TiaCorine does have superpowers. She’s balanced motherhood, college, full-time employment and rap. “When everyone says ‘how do you do it’ you just don’t know because you literally just do it,” she said. “Sometimes it’s hard because [when traveling or in the studio] I miss my daughter, and I don’t want her to feel like she’s missing time out with me, or that I don’t want to see her.” Since the start of her career, she’s learned to be smart about how she moves and makes a priority to spend time with her daughter (who’s her number one fan) when she’s not working. “[My daughter] knows my music and she’ll be like, ‘play this song’ or ‘I love this song.’ I use her as a test to see if [my songs] are a go or not.”