Noumoucounda was born in Dakar into a family of griots from Tambacounda. He never learned to play the kora; it's in the blood that runs through his veins. His mother was a singer and his father a kora player with the Orchestre National du Sénégal. Noumoucounda entered the Dakar Conservatory at the age of 20, where he concentrated on a traditional repertoire. However, his desire to transcend borders led him in 1994 to join the Senegalese rap group Positive Black Soul, one of the pioneers of African rap, with whom he toured the world for 20 years. Since then, he has collaborated with many renowned artists, including Alpha Blondy, MC Solaar, Ernest Ranglin, Youssou N'Dour and Stromae. Noumoucounda truly embodies a new kind of versatile, modern artist: the urban griot.