The "By Example" album cover
Five years ago, in August of 2005, we dropped our debut commercial release By Example. It was truly a labor of love for us, and a learning experience as well. We were by no means an experienced group; we were 3 cats (now 2) who were gaining experience in every aspect of album-making – recording, mixing, marketing, design, etc. – as we worked on the album. In hindsight, there are things that would have been done differently (given the experience that we have now), but we can look back at this landmark project and see it for what it is – a powerful, honest record that took us to places we never would have been able to reach otherwise.
We took some time and shared our thoughts about that time frame, and the making of the album. We also enlisted the help of some of the people involved with By Example, so they could share their thoughts and feelings:
SL of RO – emcee, producer
Thrill of RO – emcee, producer
8bza – producer of “Street Sweeper” and “Building”
Stevie Keyz – producer of “I Believe”
Jadox – featured on “Building”
Trulala – featured on “Smooth Talker” and “The Meaning Of Life”
BY EXAMPLE…5 YEARS LATER…
SL: Before By Example, we were just 3 friends that did music together. We actually did an album back in the day – Lyrical Incarceration – but we never did any more than give it out to friends. Around late 2002-early 2003, we decided that these new tracks we were putting together should go towards an album. The album’s concept worked perfectly for us; we wanted to set an example with the type of hip hop we presented to the masses, and we also wanted to lead by example in our words and actions. The cover (which is my mom holding me when I was about a year old) was a late choice. We were looking for something powerful for the cover, something people could connect with. We felt like that picture said more than we could ever create in a photo shoot.
8BZA: By Example was actually the second official release I had any production on. The first being Kast One’s Not For the Faint Hearted… back in 2003, remixing his track Mean Streets.
Around 2004-2005 I was on the verge of finding my sound.
TRULALA: I am truly blessed to be associated, to collaborate and to know these talented cats called Repeat Offenders. I enjoy their music tremendously and I am glad that they often look for me to be a part of their music. I have been and will always be available to them for any track they ask me to be a part of because of how much I believe in them, their raw/natural talent, and deep messages they convey to the listener.
8BZA: It was truly an honor to be a part of this project, and I am proud to still be down with the R.O. camp to this day.
JADOX: I want to say thanks to [Repeat Offenders] for allowing me to contribute to one of their projects.
THRILL: Thank you for your support and for listenin’.
BY EXAMPLE…THE TRACKS…
MAYA
Produced by SL and Thrill
THRILL: This is my niece, and I had to have her on the album. She’s very near and dear to my heart, and I appreciated her lendin’ her voice and spirit to the album. Shawn and I often talk about family and how important and influential it is in both our lives. Along with our everyday-people, regular-street-walker type of vibe, family is what helped inspire lots of the album’s content, as well as the album cover photo selection, all the way down to much of what we do even to this day. Oh, and for those that are wonderin’ what Maya is sayin’…“I don’t know, Uncle Matty. They might not be ready! OK, Shawn (SL). OK, Chris (Hip Hop). What are you about to hear? Repeat Offenders: By Example. We make music for our people. We’re just tryin’ to represent. [Giggle.] Go get ‘em guys!”
SL: This was completely Thrill’s idea. I thought it was a great way to introduce people to us. I like the fact that we didn’t use a “photo shoot” shot for our album cover, which kind of made the music more important than the artists doing it. So for the intro, I thought this idea further pushed the “incognito” persona that the cover created. Thrill’s niece is a little superstar, even at her young age back then. We brought her in to record her parts, and she was amazing. Great energy. It was fun to do that session. In fact, it was so successful, we decided to do it for every RO full-length album we release.
UNDERSTAND
Produced by L-Pro
STEVIE KEYZ: This is the way to set off a classic hip-hop album, a raw sounding track! I would consider this the real intro to the album of what’s to be expected.
THRILL: This one took us a long time to name. It’s just SL spittin’ like he spit.
It was also our show opener for a long minute. We wanted to give cats a sense of the type of determination and intensity we bring to a project, whether it’s a live show or an album. And as far as any questions about SL’s lyrical prowess, this shut a lot of cats up from the door.
SL: My man L-Pro had given me this beat, and I decided to spit a “radio freestyle” type of verse on it. Thrill and Hip Hop loved it, so we decided to make it the first track on the album. I tried to bring a lot of strong energy to this one, knowing it would be the first actual song you hear after “Maya”. It was dope to spit this at live shows – I don’t think people expected us to come off like that.
I FOUND HER
Produced by Send
THRILL: The lead single and easily our most requested cut to date; a story of SL courtin’ a lady. This was the song that really opened doors for us and paved the way for us to create similar cuts in the future like “Babygirl.” Probably also helped to solidify our award-winning performance in Danbury, CT. I remember when I heard SL’s words, I was struck by how it was a story that encompassed parts of real life events that all three of us had experienced to that point. And when I first heard the beat in SL’s whip, it was already a problem. A dope bassline drives the track, with the catchy guitar hook over top. Peace to DJ Send. Sometimes, cats come up and ask us to perform this one for their girlfriends at shows, and we’re more than happy to oblige.
SL: I love this song. Send (Mike G) provided an ill beat (which he actually didn’t like, believe it or not), and it just spoke to me as a song about a female. I tried to pull things from all of our lives in this track…just things we all went through with relationships and dating. I remember when this got played at one of the Millennium Music Conferences in Harrisburg, PA. The reaction we got from it – and it was a reaction from a room full of other artists who didn’t even know us – is something I’ll never forget.
STEVIE KEYZ: With a smooth sound and lyrics referring to the ‘Bronx Tale’ test, you can’t disregard a track like this.
BUILDING (featuring JADOX)
Produced by 8bza
8BZA: With Building, although there was no concrete topic, I was trying to create a round-table style sound-scape with the chorus samples. Besides breaking, graffiti got a lot of artists into the music side, so I felt the clips helped express that independently from the track as well.
SL: Even back then, 8 was a problem. An emcee/producer combo that you couldn’t ignore. I’m glad we were all able to form a friendship, and it’s resulted in some dope collaborations. This one is no exception. My man Jadox represented as he always does on his guest verse. Hip Hop’s verse is ridiculous. Just the way he broke down the life of an aspiring artist, and the direction that artist chooses – he really was building on that track.
THRILL: Peace to Jadox out on the west side of things. Another stellar SL verse over the murky, unsettling background sound put forth by our friend, 8bza. I remember rollin’ around town in the whip, recitin’ SL and Hip Hop’s verses before the album dropped.
JADOX: I jump at the opportunity to work with talented artists. The beat that 8bza provided was a head-nodder. Those are usually the best kinds of beats for me to write to. There was a Hindu element in that beat that I was drawn to, and it made for a quick verse turnaround.
My mindset when composing rhymes usually doesn’t deviate from the following: be yourself and make sure the content is relevant. All that translates into is not attempting to sound like someone else while also striving to have meaning behind what is communicated. Not everyone will understand it or like it, but as long as I’m happy with the finished product, that’s all that really matters.
SMOOTH TALKER (featuring TRULALA)
Produced by SL
TRULALA: I will say that the song Smooth Talker was a true delight to be a part of. The music was smooth and jazzy and the content was something I can relate to. I think SL’s flow, lyrics, and delivery are always on the money and I enjoy listening to his cool vocals on this one. I really dig how easy he steps up to the mic and delivers his message. He is truly a talent to [be] reckon[ed] with.
THRILL: SL and Trulala – Central PA’s answer to Hov and Beyonce. Concept produced and freaked by SL himself.
SL: Yeah, I admit, I did swagger jack Jay-Z for the beginning part (“You ready T? Let’s go get ‘em!”). I just thought it worked! Anyway, that was a fun joint to do…Tru and I have done a lot of songs since then, but the 2 from By Example are dear to my heart.
STILL HERE
Produced by SL
THRILL: My first record. Three verses – dad, brother, and mom. The inclusion of “reminisce” and “think about it” are odes to two of our legendary influences, Pete Rock & CL Smooth and Eric B. & Rakim respectively. An edgy cut that I had serious reservations about puttin’ on the album. Caught lots of static from the family for puttin’ this one out, but even more props from cats at shows that would tell me how much it meant to them and spoke of their family experiences, too. Humbling. I remember bein’ in the studio and choppin’ it up with SL. He was like, “Man, if people catch feelin’s about it, don’t sweat it. If those things didn’t happen to you, and those people didn’t do those things to you, you wouldn’t have written this song!” Also, laid the foundation for the friendship that WindChILL (from Artists Over Industry) and I have. We had lots of good conversations about this track. Even though it documents the truth about my family, my mom still has trouble with it to this day.
SL: Yeah, Thrill caught a lot of heat from his fam for this one, but more love and respect from people for being unafraid to put it out there. People STILL talk about how the words to this joint impacted them. That’s really what we try to do – make music that everyone can relate to. This track is the embodiment of that idea.
WINDOWS DOWN
Produced by SL
SL: Thrill came up with this concept. So, in preparing for it, I was driving through Coatesville, PA, looking around at people doing their everyday thing. I started thinking about how people perceive others, what they think about them, what they assume about their lives. So the idea is that we tend to look at each other through closed windows – from the outside looking in, or the inside looking out. We need to open those windows to find out what people are really about. A concept that’s still very relevant today.
THRILL: Concept is that of stereotypes, judgments, and thinkin’ that you know someone else’s story by just seein’ them around the way. Ills that we all fall victim to, unfortunately. Dope cut by SL.
BE STRONG
Produced by Trauma King
SL: My man Trauma King cooked up a banger. Me and Hip Hop really liked the sound of this one, and the message that we came up with was definitely an uplifting one. Hip Hop used one of my favorite quotes for his verse: “a setback is a setup for a comeback”.
THRILL: Hip Hop represents again on this one. Adversity – which way you gonna go? Forward or back?
STREET SWEEPER
Produced by 8bza
8BZA: I had actually made the beat to Street Sweeper right before I attended college. R.O. needed one more beat for their project, and out of a few that I sent, that one was most favorable. It’s still one of my favorite tracks SL and I ever collaborated on. It also proves you can do a battle style track and not rely on swears and expletives as a crutch for it to hit hard.
THRILL: 8bza shinin’ again. Really strong track that we enjoyed performin’ often. SL pullin’ cards and crushin’ cats lyrically. Well written with a mighty message.
SL: 8bza did it again. I have an attraction to rugged beats, and 8 definitely provided that for this one. This became a live show favorite. A cool moment was when we got to perform it with 8 up in MA. Still one of my favorite cuts to this day.
RAIN TRICKLES DOWN
Produced by SL
SL: I guess it was my turn to talk about the family thing. The funny part is, I don’t think the people/family members I spoke about in each verse have ever heard the track. I just needed to get it off my chest…and as the years go by, I still have a lot to get out.
THRILL: SL on the boards once again. You can just see and hear his musical progress from track to track, as he continues to learn how to make beats. It was a lovely thing to watch. SL revealin’ the stormy facts about his family this time. His strength and resilience as an artist and a man become apparent here after you hear his words.
I BELIEVE
Produced by Stevie Keyz
STEVIE KEYZ: I was working on a classical guitar type of beat at the time, and also was talking to SL. We have collaborated in the past a few times already, when I was finished with the beat I thought it was perfect for SL, I had no idea it would turn into an ‘ode to hip-hop’, the lyrics and flow are incredible in this jam!
THRILL: Our “Hip Hop Pledge Of Allegiance.” Stevie Keyz lendin’ his talents to the project. Often requested at shows. SL speaks for us and any hip hop fan on this one. The intro contains what may be the only reference to the album title found on the album. The title just came to us after listenin’ to countless hip hop albums and seein’ so many shows. We knew what was out there, but we knew we had a voice, too. We knew we wanted to say somethin’. We knew we wanted to do an album. We just wanted to do it right and show cats how we thought it should be done.
SL: When Stevie Keyz gave us this track, I felt like it should be a song detailing our love and dedication to Hip Hop culture. Sort of a love letter to the music. We owe a lot to this art form; it defines us in so many ways. And, based on feedback we’ve gotten, it means a great deal to a lot of people. I love doing this track live because it means so much to me personally.
BOUNCE TO THIS
Produced by Hip Hop
SL: My first ever attempt at spitting in this style. Hip Hop gave me the beat, and I said to myself “here’s my chance!”. I always wanted to write like this. Cats were shocked at hearing this track, especially when we did it live. No one expected me to do something like this. People always say the same thing about it – “yo, I wish it was longer!”
STEVIE KEYZ: SL makes it clear on this track that he can spit on any type of production thrown at him, This track leaves you with wanting more, no doubt about that.
THRILL: SL takin’ a run at the down south type style and cadence. Yep – nailed it! Used to rip shows up with this one!
THIS LIFE
Produced by SL
SL: This is me just reflecting on family and mortality. My father had been sick for a long time, and this was my way of letting out my pain and frustrations about everything. This was the first time I ever cried while writing a song.
THRILL: Another self-contained cut from SL. Production, words, and chorus all by the man himself. Honesty and introspection comin’ right through your speakers.
WE THREE
Produced by Thrill
THRILL: First beat I ever made. The beat was inspired by De La Soul’s De La Soul is Dead. Hip Hop on the intro, settin’ the tone. Had to have at least one cut on the album that had all three of us on it. No chorus – strictly words from one cat after another.
SL: This is sort of a posse cut (do people say posse cut anymore?), but just the 3 of us. Thrill’s first attempt at producing wasn’t too shabby! I always liked how this one turned out…just RO being RO.
LINEAGE
Produced by SL
THRILL: Produced by DJ Premier or SL? More honesty and more encouragement by SL’s example. “Tell me dat.”
SL: I had Premo in mind when I made this beat. The song is basically about learning lessons about yourself, and what you can bounce back from. I thought it’s important to note that one verse revolves around a birth, and one revolves around a death. Hip Hop and I were childhood friends with Andy Glasco, and we were both shocked when he passed. 17 years old. This would mark the second time that I ever cried while writing a song. I still get choked up by the end of that 2nd verse: “Never look back, play like it’s your last game/Represent your crew like they all had your last name/And most of all – live…life…to the…fullest/I still wish I could stop that bullet.” I love you, Andy. RIP.
JAMAICA JAWN
Produced by Hip Hop
THRILL: Just stories about a typical summer weekend back in the day when we used to kick it as a unit. Hip Hop on the beat. I remember comin’ through his crib when he made this one and just losin’ my mind. You could feel the momentum for the album growin’, and this was another poignant moment in our growth and development as a group. “PYT!”
SL: This joint was fun to make. I especially like the use of ad-libs from Thrill and Hip Hop; it added a fun, authentic vibe to the storyline. I guess you can consider this our first “club banger”. Either way, it just feels like summertime every time I hear it.
MESSAGES
Produced by L-Pro
THRILL: SL takin’ four minutes to speak on the state of rap, male-female relations, parenthood, and police-neighborhood interactions in the hip hop community.
SL: Yeah, I just wanted to touch on some subjects. I didn’t want to sound too preachy, but I definitely wanted to get strong messages across. L-Pro provided a nice beat to do that with. I actually recorded this at L’s spot, which was a dope experience. He’s a good dude, and a great talent. He helped us a lot.
THE MEANING OF LIFE (featuring TRULALA)
Produced by SL
TRULALA: Now the song The Meaning of Life is superb. It really tugs at my heart and it has meaning to me. I really thought [Hip Hop] shined on this one because he sounded so genuine and true. He put forth so much passion in his delivery and his lyrics were spot on. Not to say that SL did not deliver a stellar performance as well, But I will say that this song is my favorite out of the two that I contributed my vocals on. The lyrics that [Hip Hop]and SL put forth on this track made me really think about my life and struggles in life in general. It is a real thought-provoking track. I will say that I am particularly proud of my hook and vocals on this one because it hit a chord with me. I like emotional music. I sing many emotional, deep tracks and I was drawn to this song like a “moth to a flame” (However cliché that may sound to you all, it is very true). I like to sing on music that has depth, and this definitely has depth. I was able to relate so well to the lyrics these two talented artists wrote.
THRILL: Trulala, Hip Hop, and SL are back again to address the inevitable question. Hip Hop shares his truthful and insightful letter to the Lord via two deep verses. With SL behind the boards, he did it again! Great piano.
SL: Easily my favorite track with Trulala; she really shined on this one. Hip Hop’s verses are 2 of the best that he’s ever written. He was always outstanding on the heavy subjects. I was more than happy to play the background on this one. I couldn’t be happier with how this one turned out.
IT’S OUR TIME
Produced by SL
THRILL: One of my favorite RO cuts of all time, packed with all of our important moments as a group and SL’s shout out to the unnamed Millersville University hater. We have a lot of fun when we perform this one live. We used to call this one “Bio On A Beat,” because it’s a musical history of the group. SL runs it all down, from how we got our start, to our first album entitled Lyrical Incarceration, up ‘til now. It’s all in there.
STEVIE KEYZ: From starting with a karaoke machine to doing shows, Repeat Offenders lets you know their story and the road they have taken. [SL] thanks all the supporters and even the ones that tried to say differently. Super Lyrical is just that, and SL is a great example of not needing to cuss and still sound raw. I don’t have an issue with swears in lyrics though, but it’s all about style and SL has his own to bring that underground hip-hop back where it belongs.
SL: I think storytelling is an important part of Hip Hop songwriting. Going into this one, I thought we should tell the RO story, give people an idea of where we came from. Plus, it gave us the opportunity to say “thank you” to everyone that bothered to give us a chance…and even the ones that didn’t. Like the song says, it hasn’t been an easy road, but we were glad to do it. If it’s not worth working for, then it’s not worth it. We definitely have the battle scars to prove that, and we wear them proudly.
Listen to the entire album here: http://repeatoffenders.bandcamp.com/album/by-example
-S. Jacks
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