Dot Rotten

South London MC Dot Rotten ranks among the grime talents who capitalized on the commercial ascent of Dizzee, Tinie, and Tinchy, having first spent years cultivating underground recognition before collaborating with figures ranging from X-Factor finalists to Brit Award-winning singer/songwriters. Born Joseph Ellis in Stockwell, he began rapping and producing his own tracks on an Atari system at age seven; influences as wide-ranging as Bob Marley, Timbaland, and Sting shaped his development, leading to the 2007 release of his debut mixtape, This Is the Beginning. The following year he adopted the name Dot Rotten—an acronym standing for “Dirty on Tracks, Righteous Opinions Told to Educate Nubians,” unrelated to the similarly titled Eastenders figure—and issued the follow-up R.I.P. Young Dot. Time spent with OGZ Crew and the Essentials raised his visibility, and airplay on Rinse FM and SB:TV brought further opportunities, including guest spots on Early B’s single “A Star,” P-Money’s album P-Money Is Power (“Sounds & Gimmicks”), and Mz. Bratt’s Elements mixtape (“Speeding By”). He also appeared on major-label projects such as Cher Lloyd’s Sticks & Stones (“Dub on the Track”) and Ed Sheeran’s 5 Collaborations Project (“Goodbye to You”). After inking a deal with Mercury Records in 2011, Dot Rotten joined Labrinth, Chipmunk, and Wretch 32 for the official Children in Need charity rendition of Massive Attack’s “Teardrop,” opened for Chase & Status, Dappy, and J.Cole across U.K. dates, and traded diss tracks (“Pop Artist,” “It’s Over”) with Wiley, the self-styled “King of Grime.” Following the release of his debut single “Keep It on a Low,” he earned a place on the BBC Sound of 2012 shortlist and is slated to deliver his first studio album before year’s end.