VIDEO: Solange "I Decided"

This song took a while to grow on me, as did the idea of Beyonce's little sister having a legitimate musical career. Back in 2003, when she debuted her first album, Solo Star, everyone was skeptical. I managed to enjoy one single, "Feelin' You (Part II)," but not much else. Her sophomore effort, Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams, isn't any less of a risk five years later. Since her first release, she's been married, divorced, and given birth to a son. She's got plenty to write about. But she's not only changing her content, she's changing her sound. It's more soulful this time around--not to mention, much more star-studded. It's as if she's spent her hiatus networking. This album is riddled with collaborations with Q-Tip, Estelle, John Legend, Nas, Lil Wayne, Trey Songz, and Floetry's Marsha Ambrosius. Here's a taste before the August 26th release: