Dot Rotten

Joseph Ellis-Stephenson (born 19 October 1988), better known by his stage name Dot Rotten or Zeph Ellis, is a British grime MC, rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer from Lambeth, South London.

Having released a series of mixtapes independently in the grime scene under the names Young Dot and later Dot Rotten, Ellis signed to Mercury Records, releasing his debut studio album '' Voices in My Head'' in 2013. After leaving the major label, he has since released several independent EP's and projects, as well as later changing his name to Zeph Ellis and focusing on producing.

He is known for introducing various sampling techniques to grime production, and creating the style of singing hooks on grime tracks. These styles can be heard throughout his discography from the early Young Dot era to his present projects under the Zeph Ellis moniker.

Biography

2004–08: Early career and first name change

Ellis began rapping at the age of seven, using an Atari model as a basis for music production. Under the name Young Dot, he released his first self-produced mixtape in 2007, entitled ''This Is The Beginning''.

The following year saw Ellis abandon the moniker and adopt a new guise, Dot Rotten. The name change was followed by a second self-produced mixtape entitled ''R.I.P. Young Dot,'' released in July 2008. This year also saw the release of ''Rotten Riddims,'' an instrumental series spanning six volumes. These featured a host of new material, as well as instrumentals that Ellis had previously made and used in his Young Dot era. Volume 7 was eventually released in 2014 as a free download.

2008–11: Mixtapes and collaborations

The following year, Ellis released two mixtapes within two months, entitled ''S.O.O.N (Something Out of Nothing)'' and ''Extra Attention.'' Production was primarily handled by Dot himself, but also featured instrumentals by Rude Kid, Faith SFX and Dizzee Rascal. Guest vocalists included Ice Kid, MEGA12, Voltage, Brutal and Shimmer.

2011–13: Breakthrough and ''Voices in My Head''

2011 saw Dot Rotten sign his first major label deal with Mercury Records. During this year he made several guest appearances, including on Ed Sheeran's '' No. 5 Collaborations Project'' ("Goodbye to You"), Mz. Bratt's ''Elements'' mixtape ("Speeding By") and Cher Lloyd's '' Sticks + Stones'' ("Dub on the Track"). He also appeared on the Children in Need 2011 charity single, " Teardrop". Under the name 'The Collective', Rotten appeared as one of many artists assembled by Take That member Gary Barlow, which included Chipmunk, Wretch 32, Mz. Bratt, Labrinth, Rizzle Kicks, Ed Sheeran, Ms. Dynamite and Tulisa Contostavlos. The single, which was performed both at Children in Need 2011 and Children in Need Rocks Manchester in November 2011 debuted at number 24 on the UK Singles Chart; marking Dot Rotten's first chart appearance. An EP entitled ''Above The Waves'' was self-released in June 2014 featuring the lead track, "Normal Human Being".

The rapper proceeded to release his debut single on 4 November 2011, entitled "Keep It on a Low". It was announced on 5 December that Dot Rotten had been nominated for the BBC
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