Taken from my blog, which was origianlly copied from something I posted on another forum:
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The Future Sound of Music (What’s to Come Next?)
Category: Music
PART 1
Despite the fact that top 40/rhythmic and urban music are using faster beats these days, I still miss how it sounded 1997-2004. Not only do I miss the Jocelyn Enriquez, Adriana, Angelina, Lina Santiago, Lil Suzy, Jossette, Planet Soul sound, but I also miss the Timbaland and Missy sound from those days as well. I still don't understand how we've advanced backwards from creative and complicated style beats in r&b, pop, and hip hop, back to the simple "sway" beats, and I was hoping that "kiss kiss" by Chris Brown would at least re-jump start that trend, but no one jumped on it or even tried to imitate it. All the slow tempo songs, with BPM's from 60 - 75 are all slow simple boring beats now, as oppose to what you used to hear with "shut up" by Trick Daddy, "I can't stand the rain" by Missy Elliott, "big pimpin" or "Jigga what" by Jay-Z, "silly ho" by TLC...etc. Those were the days I loved. Music may be faster now, but there is just some things about it that don't compare to the songs that came out 10 years ago, and back then we already had faster stuff along with the "futuristic" sounding timbaland and missy sound everyone jumped on, so that made it even better. I wonder how long it's going to take before someone combines today's new sound of r&b with the old school electronic sound of bay area freestyle? And what exactly is this new sound anyway because it's not booty music or freestyle music.
I wonder if the bay area sound from the late ninety's could ever return? I heard "set u free 2008" yesterday and it just reminded me of how much I loved it and how I felt about that style of music when it was getting attention. Could it be brought back before this dance music comeback phase ends, like people like to tell me will happen soon? I really would like to see where we are in music by 2012 and how it sounds. Back when Total, Missy, and all of them were out, I couldn't imagine that sound becoming old school, and now it is, and I'm just now noticing how it faded away, right back into the simple (boring) beats we've come back to today. If you think Lil Wayne "Lollipop" is hot now, imagine what kind of beat they would've given it 10 years ago! Imagine Usher's "Love in the club" 10 years ago!
I did notice how Lil Jon really simplified things with his very simple beats, and that was the sound that took over for a while, while timbaland and missy were just about to bounce back with a new sound. Everything kind of sounded like "yeah" by Usher or Freek-a-leek by Petey for a while, then it was the whole "snap yo fingaz" and "it's going down" sound, and eventually "cyclone" with Baby Bash. This was around the time the "futuristic sound" died off, but I was too distracted by the electronic elements and the beats speeding up that I didn't notice what was happening to the slower r&b and hip hop songs. The last slightness of that sound if I remember correctly popped up in Justin Timberlake's "what goes around comes around" near the end of the song. "My love" didn't even have any futuristic beat arrangements, but it easily could've been done to that song. Even the Neptunes went back to simplicity. Why? Imagine that sound of r&b music from 1997-2005 being used today, along with the talk box and even the combination of faster beats doubletimed. Near the end of "damaged" by Danity Kane and "closer" by Ne-yo, it was slightly done as well. When you really think of it, the beat arrangements we are using today in hip hop, r&b and pop don't really differ from what we hear in old school music, '95 and before. How did we lose that "futuristic sound that all kicked off with Aaliyah's "one in a million"? Who knew from the time "Pony" by Ginuwine was released that this was just a slight preview of what was eventually going to come next? If Aaliyah were still around today, what type of beats would she be singing over now? I could only imagine...
People in the U.K. who love and produced 2 Step also loved and talked much about the U.S. style of r&b, referring back to the days of Timbaland and Missy's older sound, especially in biographies about the history and evolution of 2 Step. That style Missy and Timbaland had going for a while did play a big role in the evolution of U.K. Garage and 2 Step because despite the differences between 2 Step and R&B music, the arrangements of the beats were very similar in how they were done. 702 had a hit called "you don't know" which I never even realized how 2 step it was until I heard it on Subjam 104.7 from London. I guess the beats speeding up these days can contribute to what's helping 2 Step pop back up a bit in the U.K. right now, but I don't think it will ever be the same without that timbaland and missy style r&b influence. I think it's mostly Bassline that's keeping things alive in the 2 Step community in London right now, and the acceptance of faster music once again on the charts helps too, but as far as another hit like "gotta get through this" by Daniel Bedingfield or "fill me in" by Craig David, could it happen again? Could we even get a Bassline hit to be so big that it crosses over itno the U.S. and changes the music sound again? We've got so many artists like Leona Lewis, One Republic, Estelle...etc out there making hits and blowing up in the U.S. Does this mean it's only a matter of time before Bassline pops up and could this be what replaces booty bass? Or could Bassline just be the next phase like Reggaeton was just 3 to 4 years back?
Will the Bay Area style of freestyle ever resurface with today's elements of r&b, electronic and breakbeat music mixed in?
Will dance music just come back and die all over again? ...Is anyone even going to call it dance again... or will everything only be known as r&b, hip hop, alternative, Jazz and Country and rock for now on, with anything else remaining being called pop??
Will a new genre eventually pop up, and are we currently in the makings of something new to come?
I'd really like to see how the evolution of music will sound within the next five years...
PART 2
I never realized how long ago it really was when those timbaland futuristic beats actually died and I'm just now noticing! It was around the time of Murphy Lee's "what da hook gonna be", TI - "rubberband man", Dilated People's "this way" Smilez & Southstar "tell me" Misteeq "scandalous", "choppa style" - choppa Before Kanye even put out "all falls down"....THAT long ago and I'm just now noticing it died! It was the reggaeton that distracted me first and then the faster music popping up shortly after. I remember Twista "so sexy" and "overnight celebrity" using those beats a bit, but other than that, it was already pretty much done. Ludacris's "splash waterfalls" and "slow jamz" by Twista and Jamie Foxx had the feel, but it was not the same, and this was around the time things started changing..and now that I think of it, this was around the time of the Lil Jon beats similar to "yeah" and "get low" taking over, which was probably what killed it. Yeah... I remember now - even Trick Daddy jumped on the Lil Jon beats with "what's happening" and the slower beats such as "back then" by Mike Jones and Mariah's "shake it off" lost the "futuristic" sound. I guess I didn't notice because even after that time we still had a couple of interesting beats like "one thing" by Amerie, "im a hustla" - Cassidy, "there it go (the whistle song)" by Cam'ron, and most of 50 Cent's beats were hot as well too. This was when people were calming down and people quit shouting in their songs except for Lil Jon who went on with "snap yo fingaz". By the time "laffy taffy" and "lean with it rock wit it" hit, the old Total, Missy Elliot, Timbaland sound was over. Damn! How I miss those days! (the days of old school MISSY and TIMBALAND! not laffy taffy and grillz..etc) Those were also the days when I think Ray-J put out his best stuff!
And not to mention, after I do both Jay & Jane... or I should say Adriana's "Until tomorrow", that Bay Area sound of freestyle went away as well. "Summer and the skies" never got the recognition it deserved. The only r&b songs I remember using that electro sound was Lil Mo "superwoman", Aaliyah "try again" and even Jay-Z's "All my mami's bounce.." or whatever it was called. Actually, I think the last Missy Elliot song to have a bit of that feel to it was "work it".
Well, let me just leave focus on the present right now before I look back someday and say "damn! I missed those days of "disturbia" by Rihanna and the Mike D Bass remixes...etc! I should've enjoyed it instead of reminiscing about what once was".
Last year, I was all about the Mari P album. This year, it's Sharyn Maceren. Then on top of that, music is headed in an interesting direction, and despite the fact that Usher and Ashanti's latest albums have at the most two or less uptempo hits on them, this uptempo generation of top 40 music still has a future, especially with all these people leaving hip hop and going towards R&B and pop. THIS IS WHAT'S HAPPENING NOW, So let me just enjoy it. Things change. You never know what's next. That's what makes it interesting.