Recording

In an interview with GQ, Kaytranada said that recording Bubba was a very different process to his previous album. Previously, songs would be edited on his laptop and sent remotely to collaborating artists for them to add their own ideas. With Bubba, recordings took place mainly in-studio with both the producer and the artist present. As a result, Kaytranada had to adapt to creating chemistry and personal relationships with artists in the studio.

In an interview with GQ, Kaytranada revealed that some of the artists on the previous album 99.9% turned down reappearances on Bubba. This changed the direction of the entire album, as it instead focused on the “Kaytranada sound”, searching for and evolving his personal style of music. The result is a unique blend of neo-soul, hip-hop, Afrobeat, and other varying genres in a dance style that the artist describes as “funky”.

Musical style and themes

The Haitian-born Canadian producer Kaytranada expands on the house and techno genres to create modern Disco tracks, using what Billboard describes as an “inventive, funk-meets electronica sound”. Bubba does not adhere to any genre, as noted by NPR – the album morphs between Afrobeat, house, funk, R&B, disco, hip hop, and others. These are ubiquitous styles found in the Nigerian popular genre, from where Afrobeat gains its heritage. Bubba relies on its Afrobeat elements to “build a physical experience” in its bass and instrumentation, and feels “chameleonic” in its range. The album is commonly described as “trance-like” and “psychedelic”. In a Pitchfork review, it was said to “(push) the audience’s boundaries away from what they are comfortable with”.

Atwood Magazine noted that while Kaytranada’s style is categorized as electronica, he deviates from the genre’s usual audience, namely musical festival goers, instead focusing on diversity and blending together different genres on each track. The Nation identified overarching themes of love, culture, and hiding behind masks, summarizing the album as thematically disconnected but emotionally “human”. Individual songs don’t thematically blend, but transition musically – in one instance, adjoining tracks “What You Need” and “Vex Oh” give almost opposing views on love. Crack Magazine and NPR identify connections between Kaytranada’s use of backbeats and synthesizers, and the evolution of R&B and post-Disco club music from the 1980s, especially in early underground DJs.

Kaytranada revealed the album was influenced by the events in his life after the release of 99.9%; including opening up about his sexuality, coming to terms with his newfound fame, and dealing with anxiety, stress, and depression as a result. “Bubba” focuses on themes of loneliness and being an outcast, which Kinfolk states to be what appeals most to his audience.