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Don Baxter
Baxter in February 2015
Background information
Birth name	Costel Sergiu Istrati
Born	(1978-06-16) 16 June 1978 (age 46) București, Romania
Genres	Pop hip hop rap dance
Occupations	Singer record producer
Years active	1994–present
Labels	HaHaHa Production
Spouse	Teodora Istrati (m. 2018)
Children	2

Cornel Sergiu Istrati (Romanian pronunciation: [corˈnelˈ serˈjiuˈ isˈ traˈ ti]; born 16 June 1978) better known by his stage name Don Baxter is a Romanian singer and record producer from București currently signed to the HaHaHa Production label. He is best known for his early years as a rapper in band "Morometzii".

Biography

Istrati was born in 1978 in București. Since his early childhood, he expressed his willing to become an actor, fact which brought him to study theatre and puppet theatre for several years. He stated in an interview that a talented man like him can not do anything but music and so he started singing.

Musical career

As a singer (1994–2004)

Istrati started his musical career in 1994 with the band "Morometzii" in which he was a founding member alongside Sapro and FreakaDaDisk. They released their debut album "Gânditoruˈ 8294" (The Thinker 8294) in 1997. He wasn't a member of the band for too long, as he decided to pursue a solo career. In 1999, Baxter releases his first solo album entitled "Suspect nr.1" (Suspect number One). The artist claims that the album was not promoted, however he believes that it is one of the top three all-time rap albums in Romania.

As a producer and singer (2004–present)

In 2004, Istrati started focusing on the production side, releasing his second solo album called "Singur" (Alone). There followed a rather long period in which he was absent from the music scene, an absence mostly attributed to his alcohol addiction.

Istrati is considered one of the biggest hip hop producers in Romania. He has collaborated with various artists such as B.U.G. Mafia, La Familia, Codu’ Penal, Smiley, Simplu, Alex Velea, Corina, Delia Matache, Cătălina Toma and Moni-K. The artist released two albums of his own and a total of 37 hits for other artists and 13 featurings with well-known artists.

In 2013, Istrati collaborated with fellow artist Puya as they released "Bagă bani" (Pay Up), the second single extracted from the E.P. album "Maidanez" (Stray), after several previous collaborations for the singles "Ucigași în serie" (Serial killers) (1996) featuring Puya and B.U.G. Mafia, "Ce mai contează" (What does it matter) featuring Delikt and La Familia (1997, Băieți de cartier L.P.), "Il-Egal" (Illegal or non equal), in collaboration with La Familia (1997, 2 băieți din sud L.P.) and "De pe stradă" (From the streets), in collaboration with La Familia, Codu Penal and 6ase:6ase (2003, official Loop Records compilation).

HaHaHa Production (2009–present)

Since 2009, Istrati is signed to the HaHaHa Production label founded and owned by Smiley and works both as a producer and performer.

In the fall of 2010, he returned with a new video for the song "Intro (Ce zici?)" (Intro (What do you say?)). It was the first song he has composed alongside HaHaHa Production studios staff with a modern sound system, worthy of a comeback.

In 2011, he released the song "Dan Spătaru", a creation signed HaHaHa Production, in collaboration with Boier Bibescu. The song was released to celebrate half a century since Romanian legacy singer Dan Spătaru's musical debut. It is a tribute song that even used a sample from the famous hit "Mi ai furat inima" of Spătaru.

2012 brought one of the most important collaboration for Istrati, as together with Smiley and Alex Velea, the artist released the single "Cai Verzi pe Pereți" (Green horses on the walls). The song was performed for the first time at the Romanian Music Awards, in Sibiu, where it enjoyed real success. Thus the beginning of a long-term collaboration between the three artists was announced.

In 2014, Istrati collaborated with Mihai Ristea to release the single "Ploaia" (Rain). The single was produced by HaHaHa Production studios and was released alongside partner label Cat Music. Also in 2014, Istrati released the single "Statul" (Sitting) together with Smiley. The video was produced by HaHaHa Video Production and directed by Ionuț Trandafir. Filming took place in the national cinematographic studios of Buftea.

Other media

Istrati made his television debut with his presence in the 2015 season of the MasterChef România cooking show broadcast by Pro TV. After earning their chef aprons, contestants were eliminated one by one during the three weeks in which the show was filmed. Contrary to the expectations of the fans, Istrati made it to the finals of the contest, placing himself third.

Personal life

Istrati married his wife Teodora, a culinary blogger, in 2018. The couple has two children, a boy and a girl.

Discography

Studio albums

Singles

As lead artist

As featured artist

References

1. "Drama soţiei lui Don Baxter: «Aș fi vrut să mă ascund într-un colț și să mor!»". click.ro (in Romanian). Click. 12 January 2020. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
2. ^ "Don Baxter Biografie". fanclub.ro (in Romanian). FanClub. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
3. "Don Baxter Biography". last.fm (in Romanian). Last.fm. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
4. Colaborari Don Baxter www.muziq.ro , Accesat la data de 22.01.2015
5. Puya si Don Baxter- Baga bani www.marphahiphop.tv , Accesat la data de 02.02.2015
6. Production Don Baxter Archived 2015-02-24 at the Wayback Machine www.hahahaproduction.com , Accesat la data de 27.01.2015
7. Intro Don Baxter Archived 2015-02-24 at the Wayback Machine www.urban.com , Accesat la data de 18.01.2015
8. Boier Bibescu și Don Baxter- Dan Spataru Archived 2015-02-25 at the Wayback Machine www.urban.ro , Accesat la data de 21.01.2015
9. Smiley, Alex Velea și Don Baxter- Cai verzi pe pereti Archived 2015-02-25 at the Wayback Machine www.profm.ro , Accesat la data de 13.01.2015
10. Mihai Ristea și Don Baxter- Ploaia www.star-gossip.ro , Accesat la data de 09.02.2015
11. “Statul” Don Baxter Archived 2015-01-08 at the Wayback Machine www.urban.ro , Accesat la data de 05.02.2015
12. MasterChef Don Baxter Archived 2015-02-24 at the Wayback Machine www.masterchef.protv.ro , Accesat la data de 05.01.2015
13. "Cu ce se ocupă astăzi Don Baxter și prin ce minune s-a făcut "băiat de casă". Melodiile cu Puya sunt hit-uri și astăzi". stiridecluj.ro (in Romanian). Stiri de Cluj. 17 April 2024. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
14. "Morometzii – Gânditoru' 8294". discogs.com. Discogs. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
15. "Don Baxter & Royală Mare – Suspect No. 1". discogs.com. Discogs. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
16. "Don Baxter – Singur". discogs.com. Discogs. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
17. "Bricheta". iTunes. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
18. "Viata Buna feat. Baxter". iTunes. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
19. "Imi Place La Tine Tot..." iTunes. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
20. "Dan Spataru - Boier Bibescu, Don Baxter". iTunes. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
21. "Cai Verzi Pe Pereti (feat. Don Baxter)". iTunes. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
22. "Statul (feat. Smiley) - Single". iTunes. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
23. "Ploaia (feat. Don Baxter) - Single". iTunes. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
24. "Baga bani feat. Don Baxter & Connect-R". iTunes. Retrieved 21 August 2024.

External links

• Don Baxter Facebook
• Don Baxter Instagram @don_baxter_chef
• Don Baxter YouTube Channel
• Don Baxter at IMDb

• English-language singers from Romania
• Romanian male singers
• Romanian songwriters
• Living people
• 1978 births
• People from Bucharest
• Musicians from Bucharest
• 20th-century Romanian male singers
• 21st-century Romanian male singers
• 20th-century Romanian singers
• 21st-century Romanian singers
• Romanian musicians
• Romanian pop singers
• Romanian hip-hop musicians
• Romanian rappers