Ballaké's father, Djelimady Sissoko, was a notable musician from the Gambia in his own right[1] who moved to Mali and was funded by the government to be part of the national orchestra.

His 2005 album, Tomora, features Toumani Diabaté on kora, singers Alboulkadri Barry and Rokia Traoré and Fanga Diawara, violin soloist of the Mali National Instrumental Ensemble.

In 2023, Sissoko premiered a Concerto for Kora by the Lebanese composer Zad Moultaka at the Radio France concert hall in Paris.

[5] As of 2024, since 2022 Sissoko has been collaborating in duo concerts with South African guitarist Derek Gripper, who has transcribed kora music to play on his own classical guitar,[6][7] with an album to be released circa April 2024.

[8][9] According to Sissoko's manager, Corinne Serres, "Even if all the components that had been dismantled remained intact, it would take weeks for a kora of this calibre to return to its former state of resonance.".