 Touré was born in Niafunké, Mali in 1981 to Ali Farka Touré.Despite his father's discouragement and his family's lineage as a tribe of soldiers, Touré secretly took up the guitar and enrolled in the "Institut National des Arts" in Bamako, Mali.In 2005, Eric Herman of Modiba expressed interest in producing an album for Touré; to do so, he had to acquire permission from Ali Touré, Toumani Diabaté, and other community elders.