Beyonce has created her self-entitled album.

This is a feat most recording artists and musicians hold to a high-esteem, because typically the self-titled album is either the debut work, or it is their career masterpiece. While the smoke hasn’t settled long enough for us to determine if this is Beyonce’s best work, there is no denying the genius beyond this album’s release strategy; A complete mystery and secret, the album dropped somewhat randomly, with no anticipation, no promo, no publicity, no trailers, no singles, no gimmicks, and most surprisingly….NO LEAKS!!

It seems almost impossible in this day and age, amidst a generation of gimme-gimme-gimme millennial die-hard fans, that this album did not leak. It is highly surprising that this album did not leak, especially considering the list of high profile collaborators who appear on the album’s lineup, including Frank Ocean, Drake, megastar-mogul-turned-husband Jay-Z, and most shockingly….the heiress princess herself, Blue Ivy.

For the time being, the album is an iTunes exclusive, available for full download only (no singles until December 20th), at a pre-Napster price of $15.99, which isn’t so bad when you consider that the album includes several music videos as well. For a project of such high profile and production value, it truly is a mystery how Beyonce was able to keep it all under wraps, and I’m sure that all her fans were pleasantly surprised, and now, all the female RNB stars who have filled the void left by Beyonce’s previous album and maternity leave (ahem…Rihanna) must be a little concerned that 2014 may be the year of the Bey.

Special salute to Beyonce as a businesswoman for timing the release perfectly before the holidays.