From the ghettos of Boulbinet to the Republic's honours

It is a crowning moment for one of the most respected voices in Guinean music. On 26 October 2026, Ablaye Mbaye announced that he had been raised by the President of the Republic, Mamadi Doumbouya, to the rank of Ambassador of Culture of the Republic of Guinea. He welcomes the distinction "with profound emotion, much humility and immense gratitude" — and immediately shares it with everyone who keeps Guinean culture alive.

The Degg J Force 3 star

For a whole generation, Ablaye Mbaye — alias Skandal — is first of all one half of the M'Baye brothers duo, at the heart of Degg J Force 3, the pioneering group founded in 1997 in the Kaloum district of Conakry — in the ghettos of Boulbinet, the historic district of the port and the RTG, not far from the presidential palace, where Ablaye Mbaye grew up — with his brother Moussa M'Baye and Moussa Camara, alias 2pac. As early as 1999, their "Cri du cœur" won the prize at the Rap'Oussins young talent contest and propelled them onto the stage. The album Mach Allah (2001), sung in Malinké, Soussou, Wolof, Pulaar, French and English, sold more than 78,000 copies and swept the prizes at the K7 d'Or and Djembé d'Or. Reste Indépendant (2009) and Débrouillard (2011) followed: Afro-rap tinged with reggae and dancehall, lyrics that awaken consciences, and tours that took the group from Conakry to Dakar and Bamako, from Europe all the way to Montreal.

The man behind Meurs Libre Prod

Ablaye Mbaye did not just sing Guinea: he built the tools to make it heard. In 2004, the members of Degg J Force 3 founded the SARL Degg J Force 3 Bankhi, bringing together the label Meurs Libre Prod (MLP) — of which he is the president and CEO —, the concert and international touring structure Urban Afreeka, and Mach Allah Studios. The independent label produces Guinean urban music, runs the Guinea Urban Tour between Europe and North America, and set up in Montreal in 2013 with MLP Boss. Generation after generation, Ablaye Mbaye also mentors rising talents — King Alasko, notably, grew up under his wing. The Guinean press also presents him as commissioner general of the BIEGUIP.

An ambassador already at work

The title merely names what he has long been doing. On 18 October, a few days before the announcement, he saluted on his page the 8th edition of the Lassiry Hip-Hop Festival — "a true space of expression, creation and opportunity for young people" —, congratulated "Lefa and all the teams", and highlighted the edition's training programmes, ahead of the big show on 1 November at the Petit Sory stadium in Conakry. Defending stages, training young people, carrying Guinean identity beyond borders: that is exactly the programme he claims for his new mission.

He sums up his conviction in one sentence: "Guinea deserves to be known, celebrated and loved to the height of its human, cultural and natural riches." And he signs it like an oath: "For Guinea. For our culture. For our heritage. For future generations."

What now?

With this title, Guinea gives its culture a face: a grassroots artist, respected on stage and in the studio alike, who knows Conakry as well as Montreal. For festivals around the world, he is one more person to talk to. And for Guinea's youth, he is shining proof: a "cri du cœur" shouted in the ghettos of Boulbinet can lead all the way to the honours of the Republic.