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Basta (rapper)

Basta
Баста
Background information
Birth nameVasiliy Mikhaylovich Vakulenko
Also known as
  • Noggano
  • Basta Bastilio
Born (1980-04-20) April 20, 1980 (age 44)
Rostov-on-Don, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
GenresHip hop, Rap
Occupation(s)Rapper, producer, radio host, singer
Years active1997–present
LabelsGazgolder Records
Websitewww.gazgolder.com

Basta, also known as Noggano, born on April 20, 1980, as Vasiliy Mikhaylovich Vakulenko (Russian: Василий Михайлович Вакуленко) is a Russian rapper, singer, producer, and radio host.[1]

Biography

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Basta's father was an army officer who served in the Armed Forces of Belarus (formerly part of Soviet Union) during the 1980s.[2] Basta studied at a local music college but did not graduate.

Basta first began to write rap songs around the age of 15–16. In 1997, he joined the rap group Psycholyric, which he later renamed to 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 Centr). Later, 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. The company has a multi-brand strategy and, under their ownership, acts as a music record label, nightclub, production company, management agency, and talent agency. Under Gazgolder, they also own multiple stores which include clothes shops, pubs, restaurants, vape shops, and a jewelry retailer.

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

Personal life

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Basta is married and has two children.

In 2017, Basta was banned for three 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 the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.[10][11]

Discography

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Albums

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Compilations

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Singles

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References

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  1. ^ "RadioGaz / Gazgolder". Archived from the original on 2014-02-22. Retrieved 2014-03-18.
  2. ^ "Rapper Basta: No One Must Serve In Army At 18". charter97.org. Retrieved 2021-04-17.
  3. ^ "Александр Назаров - биография | Узнай Всё". Uznayvse.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2023-03-22.
  4. ^ "Баста стал владельцем ростовского СКА". www.kommersant.ru. 2019-10-15.
  5. ^ "Александр Назаров: биография". Клерк (in Russian). 20 October 2020. Retrieved 2023-03-22.
  6. ^ "Александр Юрьевич Назаров - биография, личная жизнь, фото" (in Russian). 29 October 2021. Retrieved 2023-03-22.
  7. ^ "Баста и Александр Назаров помогают ростовскому футбольному клубу". primamedia.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2023-03-22.
  8. ^ "SBU banned entry to Ukraine to rapper baste – Ukrop News 24". Archived from the original on 2018-01-17. Retrieved 2018-01-16.
  9. ^ "Кінорежисер Михалков створює загрозу нацбезпеці України – СБУ". www.pravda.com.ua.
  10. ^ "Zelensky imposes sanctions against 119 Russian cultural and sports figures". Meduza. 2023-01-07. Retrieved 2023-01-07.
  11. ^ "Ukraine imposes sanctions on Russian, pro-Russian celebrities". The Kyiv Independent. 2023-01-07. Retrieved 2023-01-07.
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