British rapper and producer Dot Rotten, a key figure in the grime scene who later achieved mainstream success, has died at the age of 37. The musician, whose real name was Joseph Ellis-Stevenson, reportedly died in the Gambia, with his family confirming the news to the BBC.
Born and raised in south London, Ellis-Stevenson began making music as a child and released his debut mixtape, This Is the Beginning, in 2007 while still a teenager. He became renowned as a prolific beat-maker, producing seven volumes of his Rotten Riddims series and tracks such as 'Petrol Bomb' and 'Bazooka', which provided energetic backdrops for MCs.
As an MC, Dot Rotten was known for combative tracks that clashed with peers including Wiley, P Money, JME, and Stormzy. He crossed over to a wider audience after signing to Mercury Records in 2011, appearing on Ed Sheeran's No.5 Collaborations Project EP and the Children in Need charity single 'Teardrop'. He was nominated for the BBC's Sound of 2012 poll and later that year released his only solo Top 20 hit, 'Overload', which sampled Robert Miles' trance classic 'Children'.
His debut album for Mercury was not a commercial success, leading him to leave the label and rebrand as Zeph Ellis, focusing on production. His instrumental 'XCXD BXMB' was used by Kano for 'Garage Skank', and he co-produced 'I See You Shining', a Top 40 hit for Nines.
Tributes have poured in from the music community, with rapper Lady Leshurr writing: 'My jaw just dropped … rest in perfect peace Dot Rotten, we’ve lost another GOAT.'
