Zeph Ellis, the British rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer better known as Dot Rotten, died on March 8, 2026, aged 37.
Born Joseph Daniel Joel Ellis-Stevenson in London, he was from Lambeth, South London, and worked in British hip-hop and grime from 2004 to 2026. He released early mixtapes independently under the names Young Dot and Dot Rotten before signing to Mercury Records, where he issued his debut studio album, Voices in My Head, in 2013.
After leaving the label, he released independent EPs and projects, later recording as Zeph Ellis and focusing on production. He was known for introducing sampling techniques to grime production and for creating singing hooks on grime tracks.
Joseph Daniel Joel Ellis-Stevenson (19 October 1988 – 8 March 2026), better known by his stage names Zeph Ellis and Dot Rotten, was a British MC, rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer from Lambeth, South London.