Rapper Basta: No One Must Serve In Army At 18

The celebrity commented upon hazing in Pechy and compared Belarusian army with the Israeli one.

On Sunday, Basta rocked the Palace of Sports. The top Russian singer and head of the Gazgolder is in great fit and regularly comes up with new hits for the audience. At present, he is making a new video in Minsk. Onliner.by met with the rapper at Renaissanse Hotel and discussed various issues, having touched upon the tragedy in Pechy and the army serive in general.

— You come from a military family, but you say army service is nonsense, why so?

— The army was nonsense then. My father was just finishing service in Belarus. It was 1988—1989. Hrodna region, Dziatlava district, Hezhaly urban-type settlement. A missile unit, a colony. Previously there was a landslip seam, some slums.

— You probably heard about Pechy then?

— About what?

— The training unit not far from Minsk. A conscript was found hanged there recently.

— ***k, this is hell. But, trust me, the same things happen in the American army as well. This is why I hate the army so much. This is youth! No one must serve in the army at 18. Take people to the army at 27, when they already have families and can easily go and spend their time in the army, like they do in Israel. And when you are young and have nothing in your head... You’re a clean sheet then, and they will write a whole new story on it in a year. It’s not because they are vicious and sadistic. It’s because when 50 people, different by their background and upbringing, are gathered at one spot, they will try to prove to each other who’s the toughest guy. Even if you pay them million bucks — if a conflict arises, they will fight. We don’t need such army, that’s for sure.