Tributes paid as grime star Dot Rotten dies, aged 37

"Born Joseph Ellis in Stockwell, London, he developed a distinctive sound that mixed hard-edged beats with emotional hooks; and worked with everyone from Chip and D Double E to Cher Lloyd and Ed Sheeran. He scored a Top 20 hit in 2012 with the melancholy single Overload."

"The rapper said the song's lyrics were inspired by his experiences with "a major depression". "The whole song was free-styled, I didn't write one word for it," he told Distract TV, adding that he'd had reservations about releasing such a personal song."

"He heralded his arrival with the Rotten Riddims series of mixtapes, releasing six volumes within the space of a month in summer 2008. The tracks were described by Clash magazine as "some of grime's most pertinent instrumental works", setting "a benchmark for production styles" in the genre."

Dot Rotten, a grime pioneer who died at 37, developed a distinctive sound combining hard-edged beats with emotional hooks. Born Joseph Ellis in Stockwell, London, he collaborated with artists ranging from Chip and D Double E to Cher Lloyd and Ed Sheeran. His 2012 Top 20 hit "Overload" addressed personal struggles with depression, though he initially hesitated releasing such vulnerable material. Starting music at age seven on an Atari computer, he released his first mixtape in 2007 as Young Dot before adopting the stage name Dot Rotten in 2008. His Rotten Riddims mixtape series established him as an influential producer, with Clash magazine praising his instrumental work as setting benchmarks for grime production. In later years, he focused on studio production under the name Zeph Ellis, creating tracks for artists including Kano and AJ Tracey.

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