Basta (rapper)

Basta's father was an army officer who had served in Belarus during the 1980s.[2] He studied at the local musical college, but did not graduate.

Basta first began to write rap songs between the ages of 15–16. In 1997, he joined the rap group Psycholyric, which he later renamed Kasta. In 1998, he recorded his first solo single "Моя Игра" (Moya Igra/My Game). Subsequently, Vakulenko assembled his own band, "Уличные Звуки" (Ulichnye Zvuki/Street Sounds). In 2004, he was noticed by Bogdan Titomir, who invited him to accompany him to Moscow. In Moscow, Basta met other performers Smoky Mo and Guf (future founder of the Centr). Later on, he participated in recording Guf's album "Город дорог" (Gorod Dorog/City of roads) and collaborated with him on the cover of his first single "Моя Игра" (Moya Igra/My Game).

In 2008, Basta adopted the stage name "Noggano", an allusion to the Nagant M1895 revolver. He recorded two albums "Ноггано первый" (Noggano: The First) and "Ноггано теплый" (Noggano Warm). After his "Noggano" project, he rebranded himself as a Gangsta rapper, calling "Noggano" his alter ego.

Since 2006, Basta and his business partner Yevgeny Antimoniy have owned the Gazgolder company, which with a music record label, night club, production company, management agency, talent agency, clothes shops, pubs, restaurants, vape shops, and a jewellery company under their ownership.

In October 2019, he became the owner of the FC SKA Rostov-on-Don.[3][4] Together with the company "Rostec" participates in the restoration of the club[5][6][7]

Basta is married and has two children.

In 2017, Basta was banned for 3 years from entering Ukraine as he had performed in Crimea after the 2014 Russian annexation of Crimea.[8][9]

In January 2023, Ukraine imposed sanctions on Vasiliy for his support of 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.[10][11]

• Media related to Basta (rapper) at Wikimedia Commons
• Gazgolder Records official website
• CENTR fear Basta. "Город дорог" on YouTube (MTV Music Award 2008 for Best Hip Hop Project)
• Basta on VK
• Lyrics of Basta on MuzText.com