Nina Sky - The Other Side (stream or download)
The identical twin dance-pop duo Nina Sky scored a briefly inescapable hit with 2004's "Move Ya Body," a post-Neptunes re-imagining of Caribbean club music, but their attempts to release new music have been stifled by a string of label conflictsthe situation grew so bad that earlier this year they launched a public campaign to be released from their label. This week they began giving away their first independent release through their website, the brisk, 24-minute The Other Side EP. It's a clubby departure from the commercial pop and reggaeton of their 2004 debut album, more indebted to '90s house music. As a nod to the indie-electronic scene that supported the duo during their extended major label purgatory (and perhaps fans from that scene who discovered them last year through their Major Lazer collaboration), the EP includes a cover of The Cure's "Love Song."
Wale - More About Nothing (download)
Despite strong reviews and contributions from the best producers and guest singers and rappers Mark Ronson's money could buy, D.C. rapper Wale's 2009 album debut Attention Deficit sold disappointingly. Unsurprisingly, the rapper isn't shy about venting about that on his new mixtape More About Nothing, the follow-up to his breakthrough 2008 Mixtape About Nothing. The novelty of a "Seinfeld"-themed mixtape is long gone, but Wale's rhymes impress throughout.
Game - Brake Lights (download)
The latest mixtape from waning Los Angeles rapper Game (he dropped the "the" a while ago), Brake Lights benefits from low expectations, but more than holds its own even without them. Game's verses are plentiful and purposeful, and the flashy production from Cool & Dre is a fine compliment. Game set out to drum up some hype for his upcoming The R.E.D. Album with this one, and judging from the early response, he seems to be off to a good start.
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J. Dilla - Donut Shop (sign up)
What will Stones Throw Records do when it finally runs out of unreleased J. Dilla beats? Apparently, it isn't sweating that prospect. Judging from how the label is giving away free downloads of the latest J. Dilla collection to those who sign up for its newsletter, there's still plenty of them to spare.
