Baaba Sissoko was born on December 25, 1999, in Bamako. His father, Mountaga Sissoko, is the N’goni (traditional guitar) and taman (talking drum) teacher at Ecole de Musique de Kirina, a Playing For Change Foundation school in Mali. Baaba was born in arts/music because Mountaga, his father, is both a craftsman and musician; making all the instruments he plays. Baaba’s mother, Nene Sissoko, is also a singer. Baaba and his 3 brothers and one sister all learned to play music at a very young age and today Baaba is one of the best students at Ecole de Music de Kirina. He plays talking drum, N’goni, djembe, and dundun.