Joseph Ellis-Stephenson, known professionally as Dot Rotten and later Zeph Ellis, was born on October 19, 1988 in Lambeth, South London. He began rapping at the age of seven and started producing music using an Atari model. Under the name Young Dot, he released his first self-produced mixtape This Is the Beginning in 2007. The following year, he adopted the moniker Dot Rotten and released the mixtape R.I.P. Young Dot, followed by the instrumental series Rotten Riddims. Dot Rotten signed with Mercury Records in 2011, marking a significant breakthrough. He made guest appearances on notable projects, including Ed Sheeran's No. 5 Collaborations Project and Cher Lloyd’s Sticks + Stones, and was featured on the charity single "Teardrop" for Children in Need. His debut studio album, Voices in My Head, was released on May 6, 2013. Despite charting at number 146 on the UK Albums Chart, issues with his label led to the album being neglected by Dot Rotten himself. After leaving Mercury Records, Dot Rotten changed his stage name to Zeph Ellis and focused on production. He produced several notable tracks, including Kano’s "Garage Skank" from Made in the Manor and AJ Tracey’s "Naila" from Alex Moran EP. In 2020, he returned as Dot Rotten for the album 808s & Gunshots. Zeph Ellis died in Gambia, on March 8, 2026, at the age of 37.
