Kanto made his official solo comeback with Salty on the 15th of May. And due to my studies, I didn’t have a chance to have a look at it once it was released. But as they say, better late than never! For those who don’t know, Kanto is a rapper that is a part of Troy (a Korean hip-hop group). He did make his solo debut a little earlier with What You Want (feat. Kim Sung Kyu from Infinite) in 2012. He also participated in The Unit: Idol Rebooting Project. 

Salty is an extremely groovy track that I was not expecting. The work that I know him for has always been emotional or ‘dark’. However, Salty is quite upbeat and it tempts you to dance along with the music. The instrumental is extremely upbeat and bright. The trumpets really give it energy and definitely is my most favourite part of the song. Also featuring alongside the trumpet instrumentation was the super catchy “You are indifferent” repetition (or in Korean, it is 시큰둥 둥 둥).  His rap delivery is really well done and it fits in nicely with the bright atmosphere of the song. While rapping and bright songs have been heard on numerous occasions, it feels very fresh here. It is a promising track for a (hopefully) upcoming Korean rapper and hip-hop group.

Like the song, the music video is very bright with its colours. I thought the editing of the video was really well done, especially when they changed the colour of his jacket through software (the colours in the background also changed accordingly). The video shows him trying to get to the route of the problem after his girlfriend gives the sulky look. While that might be a serious issue for some, I really like the lighthearted vibes and fun presented visuals throughout the video. It worked well with the song.

It might be due to the concept change but I thought the performance was much more lively than any of his previous comebacks. He only seemed to participate in the choreography when he wasn’t rapping in the past promotions. This time around, he is participating in the choreography throughout the entire song (and not when he is given a break) and I thought it was rather cool. I liked his performance, though the moves aren’t anything mindblowing.

Song – 8/10
Music Video 8/10
Performance – 7/10
Overall Rating – 7.8/10