Anyone who's watched TV after 11 p.m. has probably come across Cartoon Network's Adult Swim program at some point. For those who haven't: it's a collection of cartoon programs for the over-18 crowd. Some of the stuff they show is pretty eccentric, which is refreshing considering the kind of crap that's usually on television.

Anyway, Adult Swim's projects extend beyond TV shows. The people at Adult Swim have released several records in the past few years, all of them far from the mainstream but many of them good. For example, DJ Danger Mouse and MF Doom teamed up for an album in conjunction with Adult Swim, which resulted in 2005's The Mouse and the Mask.

The most recent Adult Swim release is African Swim, to promote the new video game Far Cry 2. It's a compilation of South African hip-hop artists, since the game's set in Africa. The artists on the album are all from South Africa's burgeoning hip-hop scene. It's actually less exotic than it sounds. Most of the tracks could even pass for American hip-hop, until you notice several of the artists don't rap in English. That aside, the stuff that's here is decidedly different from the pop-rap you'll hear on the radio. And, since it's a compilation, there's lots of variety. Add to that the fact that the album's completely free to download, and you've got yourself a great deal. Head to www.adultswim.com to check it out, or listen to it here.

- Andy