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First of all, as I previously noted, Rapper T.I. also performs on "Blurred Lines", something to be considered when saying the song rips off "Got To Get It On". Secondly, I'm not here to defend hip hop or rap. Just to explore the many facets of the music world. To me, everything that is hip hop is not rap, but everything that is rap is hip hop. Rap is a sound associated with the hip hop community. It's not a sound indigenous to R&B. Sampling the music of artists like James Brown may enhance a rapping performance but it does not duplicate Brown's music. And do Rappers in hoodies and t-shirts and low slung jeans and gym shoes and bald heads or dread locks, loping up and down the stage bear any resemblance to James Brown in a tuxedo with elaboratedly coiffed hair, and dazzling foot work???? James Brown was about the funk and soul. Rappers are about the profane and profound. I personally think Rap is more akin to the frenzy of Be-Bop. I also don't see a problem with categorizing music. All types of songs make up the music spectrum. You, Troy, are apparently a fan of jazz fusion, which is in a class by itself. Then there are the black slow jam love ballads, which often have the cross over appeal that lands them under the adult contemporary banner. Variety calls for differentiation. Moreover, this is the era of branding. Music, for all it artistry, is still a commercial enterprise. BTW, if you miss singers it's because you are not checking out such vocalists as John Legend and Maxwell and Alicia Keyes and Rihanna and even Beyonce who all have melodious tunes in their repetoires. Music is, of course, a universal language and race is not a factor when it comes to fans of a particular type of it. White people like rap and jazz and blues. Black people like pop, metal and C&W. But the genre is what it is. Just because a black person performs classical music does not change the genre of this music; just because a white guitarist sings and plays the blues does not change the fact that the music is blues. Or is anybody forced to listen to music they don't like or respect. There are choices for those who look for them. Finally, performers of whatever sound they represent become popular because they are good at what they do, their detractors be damned.