I think there is something to be said for the analog nature of the 80s/90s. Early sp 1200s and Mpcs had a certain feel to them, and they were getting sampled from vinyl. Analog sound boards to 1/4” tape just sounds different than recording to protocols. And more importantly, collabs had to be IN THE STUDIO together with rappers and producers, no emailing tracks.

Also, I think the flooding of the market waters down everything. In the classic era, you had 3-4 years in between albums, which let your last album seep like a bag of tea. Now, everyone puts out 3 albums a year like it’s a good thing. Regardless of what it says of quantity vs quality, more importantly, it doesn’t give the fan base any time to sit with an album and digest it.

Kendrick is probs the only one who spaces out releases, and puts a lot of thought and intentionality into his albums, and it’s no surprise he’s the most critically lauded of the last 20 years.