Karol G, the Colombian reggaetonera making waves in the Latin Trap movement, released her second album “Ocean” in early May and debuted at number two on the Billboard Latin Albums chart. “Ocean” is Karol G in full form. From her bare face gracing the cover to the vulnerability expressed in her lyrics when experiencing love and heartbreak, Karol G has made it clear that her face isn’t the only thing that's she’s ready to expose. Karol G proves her versatility not just by incorporating the trap beats that made her a sensation in "la musica urbano latino" but by incorporating the sounds of R&B and reggae through her collaboration with other artists. The setlist of 16 songs features Latin heavy hitters like Yandel from the legendary and now separated duo Wisin & Yandel, J Balvin, Maluma and her fiancé Anuel AA. On these tracks, Karol G proves that even amidst her increasing vulnerability she can stand alongside these men just fine.

Standout: “Yo Aprendí” Karol G, Danay Suárez

In “Yo Aprendí” Karol G reflects on the lessons she has learned in life with help from Cuban R&B singer and rapper Danay Suárez. A mix of hip-hop beats and piano capture a sound that is more reminiscent of the days of early hip-hop rather than the bass-heavy, head-bumping beats of Latin trap today. That is precisely why this is a song I keep coming back to. It returns the sound of Latin trap music to its origins. It also allows Karol G to distinguish herself in the overcrowded and oversaturated market of "musica urbano latino".

Other favorites: “Culpables”- Karol G, Anuel AA

This song originally stirred up speculation of a rumored relationship between Karol G and Anuel AA in September 2018. It chronicles the love of two people having an affair, according to Billboard Magazine. The heavy bass of the trap beat turns this forbidden love song into a party anthem while the gentle keyboard playing in the background helps to capture the fragility of the situation. Her lyrics capture a side of her not yet unveiled, but the fact that the song remains a bop proves that the core fabric of Karol G’s sound is never lost.

“La Ocasión Perfecta” - Karol G, Yandel

Karol G partners with Yandel to deliver a head-bopping song describing her desire for intimacy over a trap beat. While this song showcases the sound that catapulted Karol G to reggaetonera fame, it’s her smooth vocals over this track that make it one of the songs that I never get tired of hearing no matter how many times I put it on repeat. 

It is hardly a surprise that Karol G’s second album was received with critical acclaim. Karol G showcases her lovely vocals, presents music that incorporates different genres, and showcases new artists. Karol G does what few artists are able to do well: she utilizes different genres that not only demonstrate her versatility but expand on the sound she’s already developed. Karol G’s second album has proven that she is here to stay and I couldn’t be happier about that. 

Karol G’s new album “Ocean” is available to stream on Spotify, Apple Music, Pandora, and Tidal.

Toxic family members and friends can have an effect on a person’s well-being. Over time, I have dealt with several toxic family members and friends and it makes me sad to think about the situation. Many arguments and words were exchanged that cannot be taken back. It hurts more when you fight with a family member rather than a friend because family should always have your back and should understand you. When arguing with a family member, I’ve often been seen as the aggressor, not the victim. These things make you feel as if your feelings are invalid and do not matter. Once my friend got into an argument with her mom because she didn’t want to give her mom her paycheck. Her mom thought my friend was disrespecting her by keeping her money. Her mom acted like the victim when in reality she attacked my friend.

Toxic friends are a problem, as well. Friends are often the ones you may feel the most comfortable around because you share your secrets and daily thoughts with them. Interactions with these toxic friends have caused me to have situational depression for days or weeks at a time and caused me to have anxiety. I’ve come to terms with the fact that these particular situations were in fact, not my fault, but the toxic person’s fault. It takes a lot to come to that realization, especially after being blamed for almost everything by the toxic person.

You know that your family members may or may not be toxic due to their actions and the way you feel about them.  These toxic family members can make you feel drained, and as if you are less than worthy. It may be a scary experience to be around them because you’re scared that you will upset them. Toxic family members may hold their authority over you and treat you like a child. They can make threats by taking advantage of your insecurities or taking away something that is important to you to get what they want. Your feelings may be dismissed every time you talk to them, and they could act as if you are attacking them and they are the victim. This topic matters deeply because it not only affects our generation but the generations to come. Many kids my age seem to have at least one or two toxic people in their lives. This can affect our mental health, as well as the way we view things. We could be scared to open up to our parents, talk about our feelings or be ourselves. 

In the teenage community, parents often create this toxic relationship dynamic when we disagree with them and try to defend ourselves. However, this argument seems to go in one ear and out the other, as the teen is seen as being disrespectful for trying to get their parents to see their side and own up to their mistakes. It’s a sad feeling when we want to distance ourselves from our parents to be better as a person, but we wouldn’t know how to feel without them being in our lives. 

This issue is not talked about enough. Parents or friends often take it as you being "sensitive," but that's not the case because if it hurts you, then it hurts you. There's never a moment where you're too "sensitive." It’s so much easier to avoid the toxic friends, but harder to avoid the toxic family. Since they are your family, you may see them all the time and it could be hard for you to protect your own space when around them. 

We can make this better by making sure that we don’t carry toxic relationships over to the coming generations. As people, we can change how we speak about things, how we carry ourselves and how we approach certain topics. When a toxic person can no longer control you, then they will try to control how others see you. The misinformation may feel weird or unfair, but trust that other people will eventually see the truth. Being more positive and not thinking about how that person makes you feel can make you a better person. Not only will you be in a positive space but you will also be free to express your ideas or use this space to get better and grow without that person. 

(http://www.ilanelanzen.com/familyandparenting/10-signs-you-have-toxic-family-members-and-3-things-you-can-do-about-it/)

The anime show “Alice & Zouroku” is about an extraordinary girl named Sana that was born in a research facility and has powers that normal humans can't even wish for. She escaped the research facility that held her and caused her a lot of trouble so the facility is on a desperate search to find her and keep her away from human society.

This anime is amazing overall. From the poster, this series looks like a story about an old man who is raising a little girl but if you watch it, you’ll be quite surprised. Something I really like about this anime is that it always leaves you on edge. One episode may be about Sana fighting aliens, while another may be about Zoroku rescuing her. It leaves you hanging because you’re expecting something to happen but it may not ever happen. One episode that left me guessing was the first one due to Sana escaping the facility and risking getting kidnapped. 

One thing that I didn’t like was how the animation switched up. At certain points, the cartoon looked different from how the characters were drawn, almost as if they’re out of place. At some moments the two anime styles do come together well, but at other times the animation looks weird. 

If you’re looking for something that is interesting and has plot twists, this is the show for you. You can watch this anime on streaming services such as Crunchyroll, and other anime streaming services. 

I heard about the movie “The Sand” from Facebook. Facebook stated it as “a really good movie,” so I got interested in watching it. The trailer that I watched on Facebook seemed cool and your eyes just wanted to keep watching. 

At the start of the movie, many young boys and girls were having a party on an abandoned beach, and many of them were drinking alcohol. There was a girl named Marsha (Nikki Leigh) who didn’t want to drink alcohol, but when she saw her boyfriend, Jonah (Dean Geyer), with another girl named Chanda (Meagan Holder), Marsha started to drink. This night was fun for all of the kids. The next day, there were only eight people alive out of the 40 people at the party. Four people were in a car, two other people were in a boat, one boy was in a barrel (put there by his friend), and one girl was on top of a table. The sand swallowed and killed the others.

When I first started watching this movie, it was boring. I thought the movie was going to start with a group of people from different places going to that beach because of the trailer, but it just started with a person taking a video of his friends drinking and having fun on the beach. Every five minutes the movie was getting more boring because there was no action. The eight people who survived were in the same place always, on the beach, and it would be better if the actors who were there, would have had more to do. 

The acting and editing were really bad, and the actors didn’t seem interesting. I think they were in that movie because all of them were handsome and would get people to watch the movie. I became more interested in Marsha, Kaylee, and Ronnie not because they were acting well, but because they were cute.

Don’t waste your time watching this kind of movie. I do not recommend this movie to anyone. The actors have to do a better job the next time, and also they have to be careful about what they are going to act in. This movie should be more realistic, and also have the actors in many places, not just in one place, because that makes the movie boring. 

I watched this movie on an app on my phone, called Tubi TV. On this app, there are many good movies, but also bad movies like “The Sand.”