[1] Basta's father was an army officer who served in the Armed Forces of Belarus (formerly part of Soviet Union) during the 1980s.

Subsequently, Vakulenko assembled his own band, "Уличные Звуки" (Ulichnye Zvuki/Street Sounds).

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).

Since 2006, Basta and his business partner Yevgeny Antimoniy have owned the Gazgolder company.