Insight Magazine

Bad Bunny and Jhay Cortez have returned with a new collaboration and it’s a banger! Their new song “Dakiti” debuted number one of the Billboard Hot Latin Songs and remains having the biggest week in terms of streaming. “Dakiti” is Bad Bunny’s sixth number one and Cortez’s first number one.

Since Benito’s latest album “Las Que No Iban a Salir” (those who weren’t going to go out) that dropped back in May during quarantine, he has still managed to release new music, with “Dakiti” being the first single that gives us a taste of his upcoming music. The song was produced by Bad Bunny, Cortez, and fellow Puerto Rican singer, Tainy, and is only the beginning of what more he has to offer before the end of the year. 

Right off the bat, “Dakiti” serves as a spanish ubeat club anthem. It’s upbeat yet slow-burning with hints of electronic sounds. The song itself showcases sounds of future reggaeton with a cool synth edge. Alongside the single arrived a music video as well that displays Bad Bunny and Jhay Cortez partying in an isolated box on the beach. 

In the “Dakiti” music video Bunny and Cortez party at the beachside with a lot of women. They’re secluded on the beach, piloting their own yachts, and performing on the sand. The music video is very aquatic, artistic, and intense. It fits the overall mood of the song very well. Albeit being released in the middle of November, “Dakiti” is a summer night anthem that everyone can vibe to, whether you’re partying at a nightclub or just hanging out by the bonfire. 

However, the most anticipated and exciting part of the video was the ending, when a big semi-truck zooms by with the phrase “El Último Tour Del Mundo” (the final world tour.) Prior to this message, Benito has been hinting at an early retirement for a while as heard in his previous album “Las Que No Iban a Salir.” Being a Bad Bunny fan myself, I only hope that it’s a joke and he’s really not retiring. But from the looks of it, maybe the end is really near.

They say that long-distance is the killer of love; someone is bound to cheat, they never work out. Sure, not every long-distance relationship works out, but not every close-distance relationship works out either. Not being able to see your significant other often is difficult, there is definitely an added strain, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t successful or worth the fight. Coming from someone in a happy and loving long-distance relationship that has handled it prior to and during an international pandemic, don’t give up on someone you love because of distance. It’s difficult, yes, but if you love someone, it’s worth it.

It started with some innocent swiping on a dating app, never expecting to find someone I wanted to pursue a relationship with, let alone a long-distance one. I had a week with my current boyfriend, Chase, before he went home to Las Vegas for the holidays. We weren’t officially dating, didn’t even know each other, but we both decided the connection was strong enough that distance didn’t matter. I barely knew him, there was no obligation to text or call every day, yet I still received a call, even after my late-night shifts.

 It’s been a year and eight months and I still get a call every day. It doesn’t matter how busy either of us are or how late it is or if the call is only five minutes, we make sure to call. The first step to having a successful long-distance relationship, or any relationship at all is communication. This doesn’t have to be a call every day, it can be a couple texts or even just a video that reminds them of you on Instagram. If someone doesn’t want to talk to you, they won’t. The communication doesn’t have to be serious relationship talks, just let them know what’s going on. 

For the entirety of our relationship, one of us or both of us have been in school. It’s important to let the other person know when you aren’t available, whether it’s in class, studying, or at work. It doesn’t have to be obsessive, but the less your partner knows where you are or what you’re doing, the more panicked and unsure they become. If Chase tells me he is working or hanging out with the boys, I trust that he is doing just that.

When you can’t be around your significant other, whether for a couple days or a couple months, no matter the distance there must be trust. There’s no point in trying to make any relationship work if you can’t trust the other person. If the guy says he’s out with the boys, you have to trust that he’s out with the boys and not sneaking around with another girl. The second that you start to doubt him, yourself, and the relationship, is the second that the relationship starts to fail. Especially right now, during a pandemic where people should be limiting how often they go out, it’s unnecessary to assume he isn’t responding because he’s hiding with someone else. The reality is, he’s probably playing Call of Duty or watching football.

In a relationship where distance is involved, especially during a time when travel can be unsafe, it’s natural, normal, and honestly healthy to miss them. There is less opportunity to travel to see each other, especially if they live in a different state and that state has heavy travel restrictions. Any time that you get to spend together, whether in person or over the phone, is valuable. Don’t let distance, family, society, or a pandemic get in the way of a relationship you believe in.

It’s been over a year since Ariana Grande has released a new album (besides her tour album “Bye for Now”), and “Positions” is her hottest album to date. In the past her music style has been pop with an R&B influence, whereas this one is much more R&B with a pop influence, something I was excited to hear from her. She usually stays in an upper range showing off her higher octaves and keeps things more PG to PG-13 when it comes to lyrics. In her last two albums, “Sweetener” and “Thank u, Next,” Ariana gets a lot more personal when it comes to her personal life and how she dealt with the ending of her relationship and death of Mac Miller. There was a slight hint at a more slowed down style and a sexually personal album. “Positions” doesn’t disappoint, giving us a hint to what her coronavirus quarantine was like.

“Positions” consists of 14 tracks that are all very sexual but in the best and classiest way possible. The album doesn’t waste any time having the most sexual song in Ariana’s discography at the top with “34+35.” It wasn’t until I listened to the first couple of lines that I realized what the title meant and if you still haven’t caught on by the end of the song, she clarifies it for you at the very end. This is a playful song in both lyrics and vocals, switching octaves and breathiness often. Other songs that are on the same wavelength are “My Hair,” “Nasty,” and “Positions.” “Positions” is very relaxed in tone and fun, being the perfect option for the first single and a great way to show the direction of the album. “Nasty” and “My Hair” are two of the most R&B influenced songs being jazzy and sexy in vocals and beat. “My Hair” also features the most impressive vocals of the album with Ari singing “run your hands through my hair” in a whistle note. We heard her first whistle note in “Imagine” off of “Thank U, Next,” but this is the first time she’s sung lyrics in a whistle note, which is quite impressive. 

From there, things stay sexual but are tame compared to “34+35.” Ari gives us a trio of features at the top half of the album leaving the back-half feature free. “Motive” keeps up the upbeat vibe that the last two songs had. The song itself is fun and relatable, asking a guy if he’s there for a hookup or a relationship. Ari plays with runs giving it a “Dangerous Woman” era vibe. Then the song goes a bit downhill with the addition of Doja Cat. It’s hard to tell if she’s trying to rap or sing in certain parts of the verse and her breathing is choppy and kills the song a bit.  We’re then given the best track on the album and one of Ariana’s best collabs to date with “Off the Table” featuring the Weeknd. This is like a sequel song to their previous collaboration, “Love Me Harder,” on her second album “My Everything.” It’s more of a loving song compared to the others, being very R&B and emotional. Their voices blend seamlessly creating a beautiful harmony throughout the song. Then, we’re given another great collab with Ty Dolla $ign in “Safety Net.” The lyrics and vocals are simple, letting the melody and harmony carry out the emotion of the song.

The rest of the tracks all have something different to offer. “Just Like Magic” is vibey and empowering, explaining how she keeps in a positive mindset. “Love Language” and “POV” are very different in style, the former being much sexier in vocal style. However, they share similar messages, with “POV” saying she sees how the guy loves and appreciates her and “Love Language” being the opposite, with her saying how she loves him. The last four tracks “Shut Up,” “Six Thirty,” “West Side,” and “Obvious” are all good in their own way, some being better than others, but don’t have anything distinctive about them that sets them above the rest. “Shut Up” and “Obvious” are the best of those four, giving us some fun runs and vocal switch ups. 

Overall, the album’s a hit. Is it the best of Ariana’s six albums? No, but it is up there on the list. The track list gives us a lot of smooth sexiness with beautiful harmonies throughout each song, a classic Ari signature style, harmonizing with herself. Her back up vocals are where she plays around the most leaving the main vocals simple and relaxed with some vocal tricks thrown in. The album is a 1980s meets 2020 R&B version of her last three albums, taking style and vocal tricks from each to make a new sound. 

As someone who has always loved Halloween, but hated scary movies, I know how odd this time of year can feel. However, over time I have comprised a list of movies that will help you get in the spooky mood, without leaving you with horrible nightmares for weeks. The list is ranked from least to most likely to genuinely scare you, if you are easily frightened like me. These are some of my favorites, so I hope you like them too!

• It’s The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown: This 1966 classic follows the Peanuts gang as they celebrate Halloween. 

• Corpse Bride: Victor Van Dort and Victoria Everglot find themselves in an arranged marriage, but after running into the woods to practice his vows in peace, Victor finds himself married to a dead bride.  

• The Nightmare Before Christmas: Jack Skellington, Halloweentown’s pumpkin king, grows tired of seemingly doing the same thing for Halloween every year, so after stumbling upon Christmas Town, he forms a plan to make Christmas his new project. 

• Edward Scissorhands: After a scientist dies, leaving Edward (his creation) alone, a kind woman finds him and decides to take him home with her. However, this is no ordinary boy, he has scissors for hands–which makes life quite difficult for him.

• Ghostbusters (1984): After a group of scientists stop working at a university in NYC, they decide to become ghost hunters. 

• The Witches (1990): While staying in a hotel with his grandmother, a young boy ends up spying on a convention full of evil witches who don’t want their secret to get out.

• Beetlejuice: After a young couple dies in a car accident, they are forced to watch an eccentric family move into their home. 

• Young Frankenstein: In this 1974 comedy, the grandson of the scientist Dr. Frankenstein is invited to Transylvania, where he soon discovers the process that can reanimate a dead body.

• Monster House: When a neighborhood is being terrorized by a haunted house and its creepy old man, three kids take it upon themselves to get to the bottom of the situation.

• Coraline: When exploring her new home, Coraline discovers a secret door that transports her to a parallel world of her own, but things are not as they seem. 

• Jennifer’s Body: After the failed sacrifice of a teenage girl named Jennifer, she is reborn as a succubus with an extreme craving for the blood of boys, especially those that hurt her. 

• The Craft: When Sarah moves to a new school, she meets three girls who claim to be witches; and It just so happens they need a fourth member. 

• Scream: After the death of a local girl, the town of Woodsboro is sent into a frenzy trying to figure out who the masked killer is, especially when the killer seems to target one girl in particular; Sydney Prescott.