Vasiliy Vakulenko

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. Basta's father was an army officer who served in the Armed Forces of Belarus (formerly part of Soviet Union) during the 1980s. 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. Together with the company "Rostec", they participated in the restoration of the club