9th Wonder & Murs Know The Key To Our Hearts Is Labeled 'Free'
What's better than a pay-your-own-price album download? You guessed it: one that's free! Granted, many of us have liberated music files on our computer's hard drives right now. And more and more artists know the truth about making money in the music business is not in the product you created in the studio, it's the money you will hopefully make connecting with fans on tour. LA-based Murs and the prolific 9th Wonder have released Sweet Lord, now available for free download with some financial help from sportswear company Hurley. After listening to the whole album, it's not mind-blowing, but it is better than the minstrel show of bright colors, grills, and posing that passes for hip hop these days. 9th Wonder & Murs Present Sweet Lord [Download]
These days mixtapes from new artists trying to get their name and music out there are a dime a dozen, but it's the rare artist that really stands out from the pack and delivers a hot product. Singing femcee duo Nola Darling fall into that latter category, thankfully. I got wind of these two with the recent release of their Nola Darling's Pretty Gritty Mini-Mixtape, and I was immediately intrigued by their name. I mean who wouldn't be drawn in by a couple of young ladies with the gumption to name themselves after one of the most iconic characters in the history Black cinema, Spike Lee's sexually liberated "she" from his feature film debut She's Gotta Have It? After I dug a little deeper, I found that Nola's Nikkobya Bisou and Aziza Montnegro are more than just two cute girls with microphones. These New York University grads are actresses, filmmakers and bonafide Renaissance women who can sing over classic hip-hop beats or rap over tracks with an island flair. Members of the AOK Collective, these sisters hold it down without resorting to selling sex or themselves like many of their contemporaries. They should get props for that alone. 
Are you looking for a place to find some soul music that combines dope beats, tight vocals and meaningful lyrics? Then look no further than our neighbors to the North because Canada is home to some hot and hungry talent looking to change the game. One such artist that has had me nodding my head to her music for a minute is Toronto songstress, Ayah. In the unfortunate event that you aren't hip to her brand of Hip Hop Soul, then get your hands on her mixtape, Problem Woman, for a proper introduction. Problem Woman has been in heavy rotation on my iTunes since it surfaced online on June 1st. Just like her mixtape cover that shows the two faces of Ayah, her music is sweet but street. The Marvin Gaye-inspired mixtape combines 22-year-old Ayah's honey-thick voice over classic hip-hop tracks, such as Pharcyde's "Passing Me By" and Tribe's "Find A Way." Later on Problem Woman she gives us a taste of what's to come on her upcoming debut CD with a few snippets and full-length tracks of original material that prove that she ain't no joke.
There are several mixtapes floating around on the interwebs for download. Many of the ones that we come across on SoulBounce are for free, and we couldn't be happier about that. When we were informed about a mixtape that featured 
