I wrote here a while ago how I feel the music I grew up with was the pinnacle of music, and everything after that is garbage. I mean that, partly because the musicians today are like most kids these days-spoiled, oversensitive crybabies-but also the music is overproduced and made to sound too "clean".
The music I grew up with was in the 90s, when the term threw around was "grunge" music. It was dirty sounding guitars, and real basic production. It sounded organic and natural with how the tuning was and it sounded more realistic. I think it was also because most stuff was still recorded with more analog equipment, where you can hear the slight differences in sounds, not the "on/off" style digital equipment does (and analog i think is a less damaging than digital because of this).
Hip hop is also an example of how it was better grimy than the garbage that is produced today. Back in the 90s, it was literally two turntables and a mic. There may be a sampler, but there was a real DJ working the turntables and creating music. It's not the bullshit DJs now (if there is one on stage with the "artist") that has a macbook and is matching blinking lights to make music. The DJ was just as important as the rappers. In fact, it wasn't uncommon for the rappers to praise their DJ in their raps or even give the DJ an entire track to themselves (like the drum solo in rock). Name me anyone who does that today.
This "clean" crap is also in the dress and "lifestyle" of the artists now. When I was growing up as I said in the past, I remember when America was afraid of the two Ices: Ice-T and Ice Cube. Most rappers back then dressed like real thugs-probably because most of them were at one time or was still one, and their music made you think you were going to get jumped as you were listening to it. Now you have these clowns acting like they are thugs while trying to look "crispy" and clean. You can't be a thug without getting dirty. But stupid kids think these stupid actors are legit and think that's what you should aspire to.
Now, I like Pitbull-yes sit down for a second after reading that-but his work I think is overproduced. It's almost too much noise around him and not enough of the artist. Music today needs something to happen to it like what happened to "Hair metal" in the late 80s. That's when bands like Nirvana, Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden came out and showed what back to basics rock sounded like and how much the music that was out was so plastic and superficial. I guess it's a cycle, and I can't wait until the cycle goes back to the good side.
Oh, and that "retro" crap in rock where people are trying to sound like they are playing in a "70's style and sound" is bullshit. It's all digitally altered and sounds worse and head splitting because it's digital.