Issa Bagayogo (1961 - October 10, 2016) was a Malian singer and he played the kamele n'goni (plucked lute from West Africa*). Bagayogo blends his native Malian traditions with western pop music and has drawn comparisons to some of the great Malian musicians such as Ali Farka Touré and Toumani Diabaté. He has released four albums with Yves Wernert as the producer and keyboardist. Sya, originally released in 1998, was the first album released under Six Degrees Records. The second album is titled Timbuktu, after the ancient city in Mali. The album covers issues such as racial tolerance, regional pride, and drug abuse among youths. Bagayogo continues his fusion of his native African style music with electronic beats on this album. In 2004, Bagayogo released his album called Tassoumakan, which means "voice of fire", followed by Mali Koura in 2008. Issa Bagayogo passed away after battling a long illness on October 10, 2016. *The kamale ngoni or "young man's harp" was invented by the musician Alata Brulaye in the 1960s. It is smaller than, and tuned a fourth higher than, the traditional ngoni, often made of calabash rather than wood, and has eight, ten or twelve strings. It became popular in the Wassoulou region and contributed to the rise of Wassoulou music in the 1980s and '90s. Discography Sya (1999) Six Degrees Records Timbuktu (2002) Six Degrees Records Tassoumakan (2004) Six Degrees Records Mali Koura (2008) Six Degrees Records Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.