For generations, African-Americans have created and driven varied musical genres: gospel, blues, jazz, R&B, rock & roll, funk, hip hop, and others. Given that hip hop music alone generates more than a billion dollars in annual sales, the absence of a major black record company is disturbing. Here, for the first time, is a collection of voices and perspectives that provides a nuanced investigation into this structure of stealing. Editor Norman Kelley joins forces with a crew of veteran journalists and principled musicians to examine how black music has been developed, marketed, and distributed within the structure of American capitalism. R&B also considers how the changes and developments within the music business--from the frontier of digital technology to the consolidation of the giant music conglomerates--might affect the future roles of African-Americans in the industry.