Given the fact that every pop girl at the time was releasing Dancepop music (Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Ke$ha, Nicki Minaj, Britney, Katy, etc.), the fact that Beyoncé decided to forego the trend and release an album of predominantly throwback and world-music inspired R&B, it was a huge risk.
And opening the era with a song like Run the World, which had a safe message but a sound that was so different from radio and undoubtedly "weird", it was the riskiest album.
