Missy said it best on her Breakfast Club interview, everyone sounds the same now you almost can't tell the difference between artist anymore. Back then everyone had their own producers, and writing team. Not only was the music different but everyone's image was also different. All that changed once the late 00s came and EDM really took over. It also didn't help that the younger artist of those times that were supposed to be top dogs of this era (Usher, Brandy, Monica, Ashanti, Alicia Keys etc) have all fallen off.