If you have a purpose, goals and focus then you make music that is acceptable by the masses, the masses won't need someone really that is going to grow on them over time, you need to make music with impact off the break especially if you are shopping music to someone that has orders to make some hot songs on albums and also has a budget to pay you for the joints, the ish has to stand out and most of all be good music!
What is good music? well you are going to get a lot of opinions on that because really some people do not immerse themselves at all in old rnb or old music to respect musicianship, but really to the millions that make a song a hit (the listeners and consumers) they don't really care about the history of the sample or how dope it is, the consumers do not buy instrumentals they buy songs that are complete with the emcee, the concept and most of all the infectious, effective hook!!!!!
By now you are wondering what does he know? well good music can span all the way from something as simple as Solja Boy or soulfull and rhythmic as The Isley Brother's Atlantis , it's all in the delivery to the audience, now would the Solja Boy audience identify or like The Isleys ?...well I will say hell yeah depends on the use, backseat or chillen wit the girl quiet storm music might be old or new skool but it prolly will do the job for setting a mood.
I think that too many people live in a box when it comes to their music but not always by choice if they are following what the industry might like because in a lot of ways the industry is in a box and will generally refuse anything that is too far out of bounds with the entire concept, it's sort of like gambling so they unfortunately play it safe and go with the same old thing, no matter if they tell you.(trust me I have played more than 50 or 60 beats over time for either majors or someone looking to place a song for me that have the ability..they tell you give me a song that is hot and I never heard or that is tomorrows sound...well they are not being truthful they would never do that LOL, how many hot songs are made that basically sound like another hot song thats been out or follow the template?...hell man I will say many, just the words might be different and the chords but a hot song will usually follow some tried and true combo of things, again it's not a rocket science.
But many don't go with what the big labels do, they go Indie and make music how ever they want or their hood will buy it, sort of how the South did when no one uptop wanted to hear it, but then when the soundscans and sales figures started coming in the big labels bit on it and then you know the rest of what has dominated the hip hop niche for almost 9 or more years!!!
I think that anyone can make a hot song if they apply themselves study enuff hits,or using some basic artistry by finding a catchy melody or a sample with a catchy phrase, finding an emcee that writes exceptionally well on hooks and verses and is able to do this spontaneously during sessions and easily write, start off with the simple backbone of the track maybe 8 bars of loop, then go from there, but the HOOk MUST always be catchy, something no matter how wack, it has to make at least some sense and once someone hears it they walk around all day going, damn I can't get that song out of my head and when they say it the people around them will start reciting and saying the same thing.....so what was the point of all of this? well the point is this, MAKE HOT MUSIC!!! no matter whether its down south, sampled ol skool Pete Rockish then to amplify your point FIND only the dopest artists to get on your joints, never release anything subpar and when you produce a joint make an impact! dont settle for less!!! don't do what others do is a very tempting thing but just because you dont do that doesn't mean its going to sell because the masses generally have their ears tuned to what they like, what they like is something for certain applications usually these 5 categories....all of the music you hear nowadays really falls into all of these.
THE CLUB
Bangin in the car or the crib
House Party
Quiet Storm music
Feel good music to pick you up or get you hyped any time(conscious music or poetry with messages, social awareness etc.
You can make almost any type of beat and depending on the mood and the emcee it can fit into any of the above, no matter whether it's simple, sampled or soulful and in some cases the wackest instrumental blessed with the genious lyrics and hook gone wild!!!