Famous rapper Basta works under different pseudonyms

“I have long understood images and use them for my own purposes. With my mother, wife, children - I am a loving and caring Basta, with friends, when I can not be shy about anything, I become Noggano. This is how I live.”

Real name:

Vasily Vakulenko
Nickname:
Basta x Basta Oink x Basta Bastilio x Noggano x N1NTENDO
Date of birth
: 04/20/1980
Zodiac sign:
Aries/Taurus
City:
Rostov-on-Don
Nationality:
Russian
Height:
181 cm
Weight:
95 kg

Basta (Vasily Vakulenko) is a brand name that is familiar to every schoolchild,

a simple worker, a major businessman and even a president. After all, all these people find their reflection in Basta’s multifaceted work.

Basta is a true musician, creative figure and caring mentor for all Russian hip-hop (Voice, Voice of the Streets, Gazgolder and so on).

For the reader who is still not familiar with Basta’s

, you just have to watch these two videos with a difference of more than 20 years, and everything will immediately fall into place.
Basta is a person who made perhaps the most significant contribution to the development of the genre
, not stopping for a second in the face of difficulties.

In the first part of Basta’s biography, versusb.ru will tell in detail about the busy period of Vasily Vakulenko’s life before he met Evgeny Antimony (business partner) and became part of “Gazgolder”

Basta - Childhood / Basta's Parents

Vasya Vakulenko (Basta) was born.

. Mom was 19 years old. At that time, Basta already had an older brother, who surpassed him by 11 months.

Interesting fact about Basta:

Admires his brother. A specialist with two honors diplomas, a railway engineer.

childhood could hardly be called good

, he himself really does not like that period, and has stated more than once that

he would never want
to return
there Since his parents were divorced, Basta lived with his grandparents almost all the time,

indigenous Ukrainians from Kyiv and Krivoy Rog. And my mother, with two higher educations from Moscow State University with honors, was forced to work tirelessly, selling yoghurts.

“I believe in people endlessly. As my mother used to say - “A thousand will deceive, the first thousand will become a friend!”

From an early age Vasya was a big fan of the street,

because there were no rules.
The excellent, but conservative upbringing of his grandparents infringed on the freedom-loving nature of the rapper. Basta was not a big hooligan or scoundrel,
but he still loved to play pranks.
Due to practical freedom from his parents, Basta
still reports that he was never a “bastard,” but from early childhood he understood what strings he needed to pull in order to get his benefit.

For unknown reasons, Basta met his father

only at the age of 7.
Later, Mikhail Vakulenko (Basta’s Father) had an accident in which he fell under the wheels of a car and became a disabled person of the first group.
At that time, he practically died, but still made it out of the other world.

Interesting fact about Basta:

I wanted to be loved more as a child. There wasn't enough attention.

Dad was a big rock fan and listened to different music, which is still considered classic to this day. Deep Purple, Queen, Beatles and other stars constantly played
in
Basta Basta himself was never a fan of them, but he treated them with great respect.

To this day, when he creates music, he often recalls elements of those songs, using them as inspiration or sampling.

In addition, the rapper, due to his military family, had to travel to different military towns, the names of which, for natural reasons, he does not mention.

“For me, a street is not just a street in the literal sense. For me, a street is the preservation of some rules, moral values, a certain code within oneself, that’s what I call a street.”

Interesting Facts

• In the past, the artist studied to become a historian at a pedagogical institute, which he never graduated from. Today Vasily is finishing his studies at the Faculty of Law and will soon become a certified specialist: a copyright lawyer.
• The artist’s height is 181 cm, weight is 90 kg. Today Vasily is trying to bring his weight back to normal. He is actively involved in sports training, exercises on the elliptical every day, and is also interested in boxing.
• In her free time, she enjoys ice skating and snowboarding. The artist not only travels in his own car, but also sometimes uses the subway to get to the desired location during rush hour. Vasily goes to church with his daughters. He considers Bach to be the best musician in the history of mankind.
• Plays musical instruments: guitar, drum machine, tambourine and harmonica. Works in a variety of musical genres. Despite his busy work schedule, he manages to read at night, and listens to audiobooks during air travel. Likes to read materials on history.
• In 2020, a conflict occurred between Vasily and rapper Kirill Tolmatsky (Decl). The scandal led to two trials in which Decl won both cases.
• Among the musician’s favorite films are “The Island” and “Cloud Paradise.” Favorite books are “The Alchemist” by Paulo Coelho and “The Chronicles of Amber” by Roger Zelazny.
• In his youth, the artist used hard drugs (90s), starting at the age of 18. He considers those times years of hopelessness. During this period, his mother, who graduated from Moscow State University with honors, worked in the market selling yoghurts. My father was hit by a car and he became disabled. That time for Vasily was like in the films of director Balabanov (“Brother”, “Cargo 200”). Since 2003, he stopped using drugs.
• Vasily is an active user of social networks. He has pages on VKontakte and Twitter, as well as an account on Instagram, where he has more than 2.7 million subscribers and about five thousand publications. In addition, the artist has his own official website, where you can find out all the information about the artist and his creative association “Gazgolder”.
• The artist is happy that he is so lucky in life: he is doing his favorite job, which is also his hobby.

Basta School and Music College

Basta later

mastered
the piano and accordion
.
Young Noggano

about 4 hours a day
to playing instruments. He is grateful to his grandmother for her perseverance, but he himself admitted that both schools were a real test for the young rebel.

Interesting fact about Basta:

In addition, it recently became known that Basta sang in a children’s church choir, and even more than that, he was a sexton in charge of the bell and he has a priesthood that allows him to wear a cassock and sing liturgies.

After 9th grade, Vasily Vakulenko enters a music school to major as a conductor.

, however, he abandoned it due to poor academic performance and failed exams. Then rap gradually began to penetrate his life, which eventually turned it upside down.

Filmography

Soundtrack

Basta - First steps in rap / First Track of Basta

At the age of 15 Basta,

together with his street friends, crossed the border of the “Gaza Strip” and began to listen to American rap stars.
At the same age, my grandmother gives Basta a Yamaha 51 electronic synthesizer.

The rapper admits that he never had an ounce of talent,

and in his first texts he made every effort to connect at least 4 lines in a plot.
It was his desire and constant work
on himself that helped him succeed in hip-hop.

Interesting fact:

I was afraid of disappointing my parents. He wants his children not to be afraid and to find their own path.

The first and lasting impression on Vasily, who previously preferred hardcore, was made by the group Onyx

.
Wu-Tang and Busta Rhymes
began playing on tape recorders (by the way, there is a theory that
Basta
borrowed his pseudonym from him).

The guys founded the group Black Tob

and at the request of our older comrades, we recorded our first song,
which was about the local gym.

“Rap is a very convenient form of expressing thoughts. You can invest volume in a short period of time”

Due to the small, but at that time already powerful hip-hop scene in Rostov, Basta was noticed by familiar guys from the group “Psycholirik”

(the first name
of Caste
) and invite you to their place. He agrees.

Interesting fact:

Vladi recalls that Basta was always the life of the party.

1997 - Vasily Vakulenko (Basta)

records the track “
City
”, which becomes a local hit.
Listening to this song today, it’s difficult to recognize the current Basta in him
, but it all started right then.

“This is budget music, you don’t need special talent to start. Mayak tape recorder, Yamaha synthesizer, dad accumulated all this stuff and we started writing”

The beginning of a creative journey

In 1997, Vasily Vakulenko (Basta) became a full-fledged member of the Psycholyric group.

After 2 years, this team, at Vasily’s suggestion, will be renamed “Casta”.

The track “City” was included in the group’s debut album, “First Strike”. At this time, Vasily takes the pseudonym Basta Oink.

The first popularity comes, but everyone knows him under an assumed name.

At the age of 18, Basta wrote a work that he considered the most important in his career - “My Game.”

He performed it at the local Sports Palace during some festive public event.

This brings him great success and recognition on the street. The inspired young man begins to work even more actively.

Having created a concert program with Igor Zhelezka, he begins to organize his first tours. First they perform at small venues in their native Rostov.

Seeing success and demand from the public, they give concerts throughout the Krasnodar region.

They began to be trusted with large venues where the group could gather up to 7 thousand people.

Then Basta took a break. For some time nothing was known about him. He retired from concert activities.

Basta - First Girl

It’s interesting that the first love of such a charismatic guy today appeared only at the age of 16

. He does not say her name, but shares that he was a very shy teenager, showing her signs of attention, he did not dare to take the first step.

The situation was saved by friends who were tired of hearing Vasya’s daily “whining”. They talked to her themselves, after which the girl herself suggested that Vasya go for a walk.

Kinzo

Thanks to Evgeny Bazhenov, everyone is familiar with Vakulenko’s cinematic efforts. Basta began his directorial career with the film “The Tea Drunkard,” in which, for example, there was a scene with the following content: Basta gives an interview, then suddenly pulls a booger out of his nose and, of course, eats it, accompanied by the words: “It’s just Kozya.”

Such an enchanting start set the tone for Vasily’s further work in the field of cinema: in 2014, a killer slasher entitled “Gas Holder” was released on the screens, and four years later, Vakulenko dropped the atomic bomb “Klubare” with Evgeniy Stychkin in the title role, where the entire text of the script was rhymed (you can torture people with this).

Bazhenov reviewed both films - the first has already become a cult, and the second, in addition to the dense dissection of the film, was supplemented by a juicy execution of Basta’s position on the topic of pension reform (the talking head from Vakulenko is about the same as the vocalist from himself). Symbolically, Basta immediately apologized for his words in support of the reform.

Basta's first glory / Basta - My Game / “United Caste”

After some time Basta

proposes to the founder of “
Psycholirik
”
Vladi
to change the name to “
Casta
”, with which the first agrees.
It’s hard to believe, but in the future both of these artists will change the entire domestic hip-hop.
In 1998, Basta Khryu
recorded his first hit, “My Game
,” which won the hearts of hundreds of thousands of people
.
Performing with him at the Rostov Sports Palace, the next day
Basta wakes up
as
a local star.

“As a friend told me: “You chose a name with which no one would ever achieve anything in life.”

On a wave of success, he gathers large crowds at his performances, conquering Rostov, Crimea and even the Caucasus regions

with your tours.
Such a wave of success turned the head of young Basta, and all the accompanying attributes appeared - alcohol and drugs.

Basta's personal life

Married to Elena Pinskaya. Their acquaintance happened by chance in one of the Moscow restaurants in November 2007.

Moreover, the initiative was taken by a girl who was there with a friend. The rapper also came to the restaurant not alone, but with a companion.

With Elena Pinskaya

Elena had previously been interested in Basta’s work, so she immediately recognized him as a famous person.

When the singer went outside, the girl followed him. She introduced herself first and expressed her admiration for the musician’s talent.

I left my phone number. Thus began their romance, which six months later turned into a civil marriage.

Vasily already realized that Elena would become his wife. He proposed to the girl several times, but received a polite refusal.

She was married in her youth, and this experience turned out to be negative. Elena was not ready to go to the registry office, as she was afraid of making a mistake again.

However, Basta persistently sought the girl’s hand. He also insisted on the wedding.

With kids

Only when Elena found out about the pregnancy were the young people able to sign. Official registration took place on June 11, 2009.

The next day the couple got married. They didn’t organize a wedding celebration, they just went to the club to have fun in the evening.

A few months later, the family was replenished with a beautiful daughter, Maria. Elena and Vasily decided not to stop there.

4 years later Vasilisa was born. The musician considers his daughters and wife the main value in life.

It is from his family that he draws strength and inspiration for new musical achievements. He had an excellent relationship with his mother-in-law.

Elena's mother lives in Paris and is a famous journalist. Sometimes she asks him to write music for her documentaries.

Basta has a rather busy schedule, and there is no time left for sports. He maintains his tone with the help of snowboarding and skating.

Basta - Problems with Drugs

Vasily begins to have serious problems with heroin, which ruin all his work for several years.

Due to his addiction, many comrades break ties with him, and he secretly drops out of the “Caste”, remaining left only to his family.

To this day Basta

calls himself
a very weak person
who only recently learned to ask for help.

But here, too, problems arise. A complex character forces Basta

do everything exactly the opposite of what he is advised to do. This trait, according to the artist, is still inherent in him today.

Interesting fact:

In my youth I often thought about suicide

In addition to intravenous heroin use

,
Basta
tried
all the forbidden fruits.
He received injuries, lost consciousness and took overdoses that completely deprived him of his memory.
The rapper calls this time years of total hopelessness.

Due to this drug addiction, Basta ends up in the 6th department of the Kovolevka psychiatric dispensary in Rostov.

“I have always been a hunter of bright, new, adventurous sensations. And drugs are a gamble. A deadly sport.”

Basta now

Fans of Vasily Vakulenko’s work sometimes recall with slight nostalgia the image of a cheeky rapper, a shirtless guy who first appeared on stage.

Lately it has been noticeable that he is a great artist in every sense, large, multi-genre and bright. The facets of his talent are so colorful that one gets the feeling that the artist is not enough of himself. Searches, tests, new projects against the backdrop of extraordinary ability to work are simply doomed to be successful and in demand.

As the mentor of “The Voice”, Basta manifests himself as a tolerant and wise teacher whom you want to trust. Vakulenko is one of the most notable and successful rappers in Russia. In proportion to his artistic growth, his material income also increases. According to Forbes magazine, Basta occupies a confident seventeenth place among the richest figures in Russian show business.

Recently, he again surprised and delighted his fans with 3 new concerts in honor of his birthday. This time - a combination of the incongruous, rap and symphony. So who is he, this mysterious Basta? Screenwriter, director, producer, composer and TV and radio presenter, or still a brutal rapper in tattoos? “The prima donna of Russian rap” is how Basta’s colleagues sometimes jokingly call him.

Recently, in the “Musician of the Year” category, Basta received the status of “Person of the Year”. Fans and journalists are unanimous on one thing: despite the colossal successes in his work, Basta’s talent has not yet been fully demonstrated, and there are still many undiscovered horizons ahead of him!

Basta - Creative crisis lasting 4 years

From 1998 to 2002 Basta

was in
a drug-creative crisis
without recording a single track.

“Somehow it was as if Balabanov (note - Russian director) was writing the fate of those years. I didn’t like feeling like I was in this world, that’s why I found salvation there.”

In the same year, Vasily’s old friend Yuri Volos (Zhora)

practically saves
Basta from a heroin trip
, offering him his home studio so that Vasya can resume his creativity.

“If the killer let me through then, then now, probably, there’s no need to be afraid anymore.”

April 22, 2003 Basta

He completely gives up drugs,
after which his business suddenly goes uphill.
He writes down old texts, creates new ones and resumes concerts.

The guys are unable to attract the attention of Rostov producers, and they take a risky step - a trip to Moscow

.
Wandering around in search of a contract and a producing studio, Basta is found by the famous author of the hit “MMM” Bogdan Titomir
. He offers to buy some songs from Vasya, to which he receives a sharp refusal.

“I just gave them to him. To his credit, he has a flair for good songs - p...t.”

But after a short time, in 2005, Titomir again comes to Basta

to introduce him to producer
Evgeny Antimony.
He was just opening his club “
Gazgolder
”

Music

When Basta turned 17 years old, he became a member of the hip-hop group “Psycholirik”, later renamed “Casta”. At that time he was popular in his underground under the nickname Basta Oink.

The young musician’s first song was the composition “City”. Every year he became increasingly famous in the city, taking part in various rap movements.

Basta in his youth

At the age of 18, Basta wrote his famous hit “My Game,” which brought him to a new level of popularity. He began performing not only in Rostov, but also in other Russian cities.

At that time, Basta worked closely with rapper Igor Zhelezka. The musicians created programs together and toured the country.

After this, there was a lull in the artist’s musical biography. He did not appear on stage for several years, until in 2002 one of his acquaintances suggested that he create a music studio at home.

Vasily Vakulenko was happy with this offer, as a result of which he soon re-recorded old songs and recorded new ones.

Later, Basta went to Moscow to present his work there. One of his albums fell into the hands of Bogdan Titomir, who appreciated the compositions of the Rostov performer.

Titomir introduced the rapper and his friends to representatives of the Gazgolder label. Since then, Basta's musical career has taken off sharply.

The musicians recorded albums one after another, acquiring an ever-larger army of fans.

In 2006, the artist’s debut album “Basta 1” was released. During that period of his biography, he met such rappers as Guf and Smokey Mo.

Basta came to particular fame after he starred in the video clip of the Centr group “City of Roads.”

In 2007, the singer’s second solo album entitled “Basta 2” was released. At the same time, videos were shot for some songs, which were often shown on TV.

Later, American computer game producers drew attention to Basta’s work. As a result, his song "Mom" was featured in the game Grand Theft Auto IV.

It is curious that Basta quite often recorded songs in duets with various artists, including Polina Gagarina, Guf, Paulina Andreeva and others.

In 2007, Vakulenko began releasing albums under the pseudonym Noggano. Under this name he presented 3 discs: “First”, “Warm” and “Unreleased”.

In 2008, another turn took place in Basta’s creative biography. He tried himself as a film director, screenwriter, actor and producer. As a result, the musician starred in dozens of films and also became a producer of several films.

Later, Basta recorded a new Nintendo album, made in the “cyber gang” genre.

In the period 2010-2013. the rapper released 2 more solo discs - “Basta-3” and “Basta-4”. The recording of the latest album included singer Tati, musicians Smokey Mo and Rem Digga, Ukrainian groups “Nerves” and “Green Gray” and the Adele choir.

In 2020, Basta became a mentor for the fourth season of the TV show “The Voice.” In the same year, he announced the release of his fifth solo album, Basta-5. It was in two parts, and its presentation took place within the walls of the State Kremlin Palace, accompanied by a symphony orchestra.

That year, Forbes magazine estimated Basta’s income at $1.8 million, as a result of which he found himself in the TOP 20 richest Russian artists.

Basta and Decl

Soon a serious conflict arose between Basta and another rapper Decl. The latter complained about the excessively loud music coming from the capital's Gazgolder club, owned by Vakulenko.

Basta reacted on social networks by publishing an offensive post addressed to Decl. As a result, Decl sued him, demanding a public apology and 1 million rubles as compensation for moral damage.

The court partially satisfied the plaintiff's demands, obliging Basta to pay an amount of 50,000 rubles.

A year later, Decl again spoke critically of “Gas Holder,” to which Basta called the musician a “hermaphrodite.” Decl again filed a lawsuit against his offender, demanding that he compensate him for 4 million rubles.

After considering the case, the judges ordered Basta to pay the plaintiff 350,000 rubles.

Basta and Evgeny Antimony

It is worth noting that Evgeny Antimony was considered a former criminal element

and a raider involved in illegal fraud with gasoline and other people's property.
Even then he was the owner of the club (not yet a studio) Gazgolder
, which was built on the site of a former gas storage facility.

He liked Basta's

, and he helped
him with money and connections
, as was the case with Titomir.
We can safely say that no matter what moral qualities Eugene possessed, without him there would have been neither Basta nor Noggano.
In the premises of the former Moscow plant “ Arma”

” was to open the “
Gazgolder
” club,
which hosted closed parties with the entire Russian underground elite.

A recording studio was also equipped there, where Basta

disappeared days and nights, preparing for the release of his debut album
“Basta 1”
, which revealed the legendary artist to the entire CIS.

“I don’t divide people into criminals and non-criminals. There are only those who are worthy or not.”

Read about Basta’s life after joining Gazgolder in the following parts:

Basta Biography - Creation of Gas Holder | Part 2

Basta - Personal Life, Daughters, Family. Part 3

Basta Biography - Conflicts. Part 4

Basta: biography

Vasily Mikhailovich Vakulenko, better known by his creative pseudonyms “Basta”, “Noggano” and “Nintendo”, was born on April 20, 1980 into a military family in Rostov-on-Don. The future rapper was mainly raised by his grandmother, because my parents were divorced and were establishing their personal lives.

Looking ahead, I would like to list all the regalia of Vasya Basta:

• rapper (as mentioned above);
• composer;
• director;
• producer;
• screenwriter;
• actor;
• TV and radio presenter (Next FM radio, “Hip-Hop TV” on Gazgolder, “Gazgolder Live” on DFM);
• mentor in the projects Voice (4th season), Voice.Children (5th season);
• co-owner of the “Gazgolder” label

Personal life

The musician has always noted that his personal life is not as turbulent as that of his colleagues in show business. In his youth, he was a shy guy, but as he grew up, he met his true love, his wife Elena.

Basta's wife - Elena Vakulenko

Vasily met his future wife while performing in a closed club. Elena Pinskaya came with her friends to relax, and was stunned by the fact that her idol was standing on the stage. After the performance, the girl approached Vakulenko to express her delight and thank her for the songs.

Vasily with his wife Elena

She did not pay attention to Basta’s unknown passion, who was sitting next to her. Vasily was amazed by Pinskaya’s persistence and independence and offered to walk her home. And so began a stormy romance between the young people.

Vasily Vakulenko and Elena at the wedding ceremony

No one believed in the seriousness of the relationship between the daring rapper and the sophisticated daughter of a journalist and winemaker. However, Vasily won over all of Lena’s friends and parents, after which the couple decided to sign and get married.

Children of Basta

The couple's first child was born in 2009. They decided to name their daughter Maria. Now she is already 9 years old and she is a schoolgirl. The girl is very similar to her dad. At school he gets straight A's, sings excellently and plays the piano. Masha practices vocals with a teacher and plays tennis in her free time. At the age of 9, she managed to become the advertising face of the school collection of the H&M brand.

Basta's eldest daughter Maria

In 2013, Basta’s second daughter was born, who was given the name Vasilisa. “Princess,” as her dad affectionately calls her, was named after him, and she is incredibly similar to Vasily. Now she is 5 years old, she is growing into a very artistic girl.

Basta's youngest daughter Vasilisa

Vakulenko’s youngest daughter often appears at fashion shows for children’s clothing. The girl learns to play various musical instruments, takes vocal classes and attends a creative studio.

Vasily Vakulenko with his daughters

Basta spends a lot of time with his daughters; they often go on trips and tours together. Vasilisa and Maria star in their father’s videos, he composes musical compositions about them.