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HardC.O.R.E. 411
--------------------- The official 411 file for ------------------------
--- --- --- ---- ---- CCCCC OOOOO RRRR EEEE
| H | / A \ | R | |D \ C O O R R E
|---| |---| |--/ | | C O O RRRR EEEE
| | | | | \ | / C O O R R E
--- --- --- --- -- -- ---- CCCCC.. OOOOO.. R R.. EEEE..
The electronic magazine of hip-hop music and culture
Brought to you as a service of the Committee of Rap Excellence
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Legal nonesuch ---------------------------------------------------------
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This document is for information purposes only and can be distributed
freely via print or electronic means. Any sale for profit of this
document without the expressed written consent of C.O.R.E., its
founder, Steven J. Juon, and its author, David J. Warner, is strictly
prohibited.
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Table of contents ------------------------------------------------------
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I. The Organization
A. What is C.O.R.E.?
B. What is the C.O.R.E. creed?
C. How can I be down?
II. The Zine
A. What is HardC.O.R.E.?
B. How did HardC.O.R.E. get so phat?
C. What can I find in an issue of HardC.O.R.E.?
D. What's up with this rating system?
E. Is HardC.O.R.E. *really* all that fresh?
F. Where can I find HardC.O.R.E. on the internet?
G. What happened to the listserver?
H. Are there any print copies of HardC.O.R.E. out there?
I. How can I contribute to HardC.O.R.E.?
J. How much will I get paid for a contribution?
K. Yo, I got this phat demo...
III. The Headz
A. Who is Flash?
B. Who is Professa RAP?
C. Who is David J.
D. Who is Charles Isbell?
E. Who else is down with HardC.O.R.E.?
F. How do I get in touch with these people?
IV. The Miscellany
A. Who wrote this FAQ?
B. Whom does he wish to thank for it?
C. Where can I find this file?
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I. The Organization -----------------------------------------------
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Question: What is C.O.R.E.?
Answer:
The Committee of Rap Excellence (C.O.R.E.) was established in
November of 1992 by Steven "Flash" Juon of Buena Vista College, as an
effort to unify the hip hop community across the Internet. This
organization produces the internet zine HardC.O.R.E.
Question: What is the C.O.R.E. creed?
Answer:
We at C.O.R.E. support underground hip-hop (none of that
crossover bullshucks). That means we also support the 1st Amendment
and the right to uncensored music.
Question: How can I be down?
Answer:
To be a part of C.O.R.E., just send e-mail to Mr. Juon
(krs_one@iastate.edu), who is now at Iowa State University. The
organization is very loose, as C.O.R.E.'s main goal is to produce
HardC.O.R.E.
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II. The Zine -------------------------------------------------------
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Question: What is HardC.O.R.E.?
Answer:
HardC.O.R.E. is the first electronic magazine dedicated to hip-
hop music and culture. It is written by hip-hop fans for hip-hop fans,
and it is distributed solely on the internet.
Question: How did HardC.O.R.E. get so phat?
Answer:
HardC.O.R.E. began publication in January of 1993 as a small e-
mail newsletter overseen by Juon. The first 8 issues of HardC.O.R.E.
contained no greater than 10 articles, half of them album reviews. As
interest in the zine grew, so did the desire to expand it.
In September of 1993, David J. Warner worked with Juon to expand
HardC.O.R.E. into a full-fledged internet zine with plenty of articles
and a full review section for LPs. Juon became Chief Editor of the
zine, and Warner served as Music Editor and Director of Network
Distribution, making sure HardC.O.R.E. is visible and readily available
to hip hop fans on the internet.
Warner served as interim editor of the zine for two issues, as
Juon fell ill with mono in early 1994. Juon resumed duties of Chief
Editor following the September, '94 issue.
In March of 1995, HardC.O.R.E. officially set up its World Wide
Web site, HardC.O.R.E.^3 (or HardC.O.R.E. Cubed), which contains nearly
all of the text from the 1995 issues, as well as several nice graphics
touches.
In June of 1995, Russell A. Potter (a/k/a Professa R.A.P.) of
Rhode Island College took over as interim editor of HardC.O.R.E. Juon
became Web Site Coordinator, moving the Web site from UNC-Charlotte, its
previous home, to Iowa State University. Warner continues to serve as
Director of Network Distribution as well as Copy Chief for the zine.
The current incarnation of HardC.O.R.E. contains a large review
section, several regular columns, and editorials from various writers on
the current state of hip-hop music.
Question: What can I find in an issue of HardC.O.R.E.?
Answer:
HardC.O.R.E. has one of the most complete review sections among
*all* hip-hop publications, not just internet zines. We cover most
major label releases, independent releases and a few demos sent to us
here and there. (And we don't get enough -- where's the underground
at, y'all?)
In the past, HardC.O.R.E. has interviewed some big names in hip-
hop, including Chuck D. of Public Enemy, Erick Sermon, The Roots, Mad
Professor and Michael Franti of Spearhead. In fact, we were the first
publication to tell Erick Sermon's side of the EPMD breakup story.
HardC.O.R.E. also features these columns: "Back To the Old
School" by Ryan "Laze" MacMichael, "Roots of Rap" by Professor Russell
A. Potter of Rhode Island College, "The Atlanta Scene" by Martin Kelley,
"The Singles File" by Jesse Bauer, and "The European Scene" by Helmut
Mayer. HardC.O.R.E. also features editorials from various writers
around the internet.
In addition, Charles Isbell of MIT, one of the most well-known
and most thorough album reviewers on the internet, contributes "Homeboy
from Hell Monthly," an in-depth feature review of a major rap release.
Isbell also produces the New Jack Hip Hop Awards, an annual internet
ballot that tallies the best in rap music, according to internet fans.
HardC.O.R.E. ran the results of the Fourth Annual New Jack Awards in
March, 1995 (Vol. III Issue 2), and hopes to continue doing so in the
future.
Question: What's up with this rating system?
Answer:
The official HardC.O.R.E. review section features a rating
system called the pH system, which determines how pHat an album is.
All reviews in this section use this scale. Here's how it breaks down:
6/pHat -- EE-YOW!! A hip-hop classic!
5/pHunky -- Definitely worth the price of admission.
4/pHine -- Pretty good, give it a listen.
3/pHair -- Some potential here, but it's not fully realized.
2/pHlat -- Falls far short of a quality product.
1/pHlat -- Get that Vanilla Lice shit outta here!
You can thank/blame David J. for this idea. Either way, it's
a pretty effective way to let you know how dope something really is.
Question: Is HardC.O.R.E. *really* all that fresh?
Answer:
Yes, yes, yes!
Question: Where can I find HardC.O.R.E. on the internet?
Answer:
Thought you'd never ask, Ock.
To check out HardC.O.R.E.'s World Wide Web site, point your Web
browser to this URL:
http://www.public.iastate.edu/~krs_one/
All new issues of HardC.O.R.E. will be available there in full
HTML format, as well as a link to the text issues of HardC.O.R.E. at our
Gopher server. All current and back issues of HardC.O.R.E. are
available via Gopher through the CICNet Gopher Server at this URL:
gopher://gopher.etext.org:70/11/Zines/HardCORE
Back issues are also available at ftp.etext.org by anonymous
FTP. HardC.O.R.E. issues can be found at this site in the directory
pub/Zines/HardCORE.
In addition, HardCORE is also posted to the following Usenet
Newsgroups:
rec.music.hip-hop
rec.music.info
alt.zines
If you have any questions about how to find HardC.O.R.E., send a
note to David J. Warner at davidj@vnet.net.
Question: What happened to the listserver?
Answer:
Due to a hard drive crash at VNet Internet Access, Inc. (where
hardcore-l was being maintained), the listserver has been shut down
indefinitely, so subscribers to the listserv that want to continue
reading HardC.O.R.E. will have to use an alternative method.
However, Charles Isbell has graciously allowed us to distribute
HardC.O.R.E. through his hip-hop music listserver. Drop him a note if
you want subscription information to that list.
Question: Are there any print copies of HardC.O.R.E. out there?
Answer:
Officially, no. HardC.O.R.E. is not available in any printed
form. It is only available over the internet in electronic form. If
you hear of anyone printing out hard copies of HardC.O.R.E. and charging
people for them, notify us immediately, and we'll open up the 37th
chamber for the bum.
Question: How can I contribute to HardC.O.R.E.?
Answer:
If you would like to submit an article for pubilcation in
HardC.O.R.E., simply send e-mail to Flash or David J., telling us about
what you want to write. Editors reserve the right to refuse submissions
on any article deemed unfit for publication.
Question: How much will I get paid for a contribution?
Answer:
Nada. HardC.O.R.E. accepts no advertising and does not pay
writers for submissions. It is strictly a not-for-profit, information
publication. (i.e., strictly on the love-love, kid)
Question: Yo, I got this phat demo...
Answer:
HardC.O.R.E. reviews demos and independent-label albums as well
as major label releases in its review section, where all reviewed items
are treated equally. If you want information on where to send your
vinyl (or tape -- we like wax, though), send e-mail to either Flash or
David J. We can't promise you that you'll get signed by sending us a
demo (if your shit's wack, we'll make no bones about it), but you will
get exposure among thousands of hip-hop fans on the net.
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III. The Headz ------------------------------------------------------
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Question: Who is Flash?
Answer:
Well, here's how *he* puts it:
"Born and raised in the cornfields of small-town Iowa, Steve
Juon was your typically homogenous WASP-y person until the age of 10 --
when he was introduced to breakdancing. Via the extrordinary power of
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious FIve's "Wheels of Steel", this
average boy became "Flash" -- a moniker chosen later as a tribute to
the first hip-hop group he ever encountered. Flash stuck with the
music even when the breakdancing fad vanished (of course, the real b-
boys were still rockin it even if Iowa wasn't) and grew into the bi-
coastal non-regional hip-hop head of today.
"Considering the influence that hip-hop had in his life, Flash
felt the need to repay the community in some way and therefore
introduced the concept of C.O.R.E. when he became a member of the
internet community. C.O.R.E. needed a purpose for existing as an
organization and out of that need the electronic jounral HardC.O.R.E.
was born. Since that time Flash continued to be the same, WASP-y
lookin' cornfield kid as ever, but his love for hip-hop has never
diminshed or changed -- it will remain, always and forever."
Flash is currently the Publisher and Web Site Coordinator for
HardC.O.R.E. and a student at Iowa State University.
Question: Who is Professa R.A.P.?
Answer:
The Professa, a/k/a Russell A. Potter, is the current Editor
of HardC.O.R.E. and author of the zine's excellent "Roots'N'Rap"
column, in which he explores the history of Hip-Hop, its origins, and
its place in the diaspora of the Black Arts. Recent columns have
looked at the Last Poets, the Stax-Volt sound, and legendary Ska DJ
Prince Buster. He is the author of "Spectacular Vernaculars: Hip-Hop
and the Politics of Postmodernism," and he teaches at Rhode Island
College in Providence, RI.
Question: Who is David J.?
Answer:
David J. Warner is the Copy Chief and Director of Network
Distribution for HardC.O.R.E., not to mention the guy who helped expand
HardC.O.R.E. into its current format. He earned a Certificate in
Journalism from Indiana University in 1994 and is completing his
Bachelor's Degree via correspondence. Now living in Durham, North
Carolina, David J. is an occassional guest on the Street Flava Mix Show,
Saturday nights at 8:00 p.m. on WXDU 88.7 FM, Duke University's student
radio station. One of these days he'll do another remix for that show
as well.
David J. also writes for the Games Domain Review, one of the
most popular video game magazines on the World Wide Web. Check out the
G.D. Review at http://wcl-rs.bham.ac.uk/GamesDomain/GDReview or
http://www.gamesdomain.com/GDReview.
Question: Who is Charles Isbell?
Answer:
He is the Homeboy From Hell. When he isn't missing deadlines
for the New Jack Hip Hop Reviews, he's maintaining the funky-music and
hiphop mailing lists, couting votes for the Annual New Jack Hip Hop
Awards, running the This Week in Black History distribution service,
making the internet safe for real culture like hip-hop and trying to
catch some sleep. Oh, he's also trying to finish up that damn Comp
Sci Ph.D. at cold, lonely MIT.
He'd write more, but he has a deadline.
Question: Who else is down with HardC.O.R.E.?
Answer:
Members of our review committee include Jesse Bauer, Martin
Kelley, Ryan MacMichael, Helmut Mayer and Oliver S. Wang. At the
present time, we are also recruiting new columnists and reviewers.
Question: How do I get in touch with these people?
Answer:
Here's a list of our current posse and their e-mail addresses:
NAME E-MAIL
--------------- ------------------------
Flash krs_one@iastate.edu
Professa R.A.P. rapotter@colby.edu
David J. davidj@vnet.net
Jesse Bauer 3jb3bauerj@vms.csd.mu.edu
Charles Isbell isbell@ai.mit.edu
Martin Kelley martay@america.net
Ryan MacMichael rmacmich@s850.mwc.edu
Helmut Mayer helmut@cosy.sbg.ac.at
Oliver S. Wang ollie@igc.apc.org
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IV. The Miscellany -------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Question: Who wrote this FAQ?
Answer:
David J., our fearless Director of Network Distribution wrote
this FAQ to expand on some of the things found in the original
HardCORE.411 file.
Question: Whom does he wish to thank?
Answer:
Flash, for getting me to stick with this idea for so long.
Chris "sl...y" Harris, for helping us get to the next level.
The Professa, for helping us stay there.
Charles Isbell, just for being down from the start.
Everyone who was down with alt.rap way back in the days
(c. 1991-1993), for the knowledge.
RapPages magazine, for paying me to promote HardC.O.R.E.
DJ SampS & The Street Flava Mix Show crew, for the air time.
Anyone reading this now, for paying attention. Thanks.
Question: Where can I find this file?
Answer:
HardCORE.411 can be found at out WWW, FTP and Gopher sites,
and will be posted to rec.music.hip-hop, rec.music.info and alt.zines
once a month. You can also find the latest copy by fingering David
J.'s e-mail account. (davidj@vnet.net)
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