Breland’s New Country-Rap Road

Earlier this year, the country-trap declaration “My Truck” took off, the most genuine dose of rural-signifying rap since “Old Town Road.” Like Lil Nas X, the song’s singer, Breland, is an Atlanta-based upstart who has seemingly appeared out of nowhere. His self-titled EP is a splash of pop, country, and rap that’s as accessible as it is clever. The bouncy “Hot Sauce” is convincing Southern kitsch (“make a redneck redder”), while “In the Woulds” (featuring country stars Lauren Alaina and Chase Rice) shows the New Jersey-bred singer’s ability to command mainstream Music Row wordplay. JONATHAN BERNSTEIN