If success is rewarded by hunger and hard work then it will come as no surprise that Harry Shotta is now recognised as one of the most prolific and versatile MCs in the UK.
The journey began when a mischievous six-year-old would venture into his older sister’s bedroom uninvited to cause havoc and mayhem. One of his favourite pastimes was to go through her music collection when she wasn’t home. The first time he heard a voice rapping his outlook changed forever…
Before long Harry was searching out hip hop releases, rapping along word-for-word with the songs he loved until he knew he wanted to be more than a listener. He sold all his toys to buy rap albums and soon began charging other children in the playground to perform on the spot renditions of the raps he had spent hours learning in his bedroom.
Harry’s obsession for performing continued throughout his schooldays as he utilised hip hop as his escape from tough times in his childhood. He would spend countless hours writing raps and performing on a make-believe stage in his bedroom. Hip hop music gave him a voice and a confidence that pushed him to continually elevate his craft and at the age of eleven he appeared on his first release. This led to many more tracks being recorded with media coverage and radio play throughout his teenage years.
After completing a degree in Commercial Music at Westminster University, Harry began attending live events and fell in love with the drum and bass scene. He became fascinated with the signature double time delivery of the DnB MCs. One Summer he attended Notting Hill Carnival and was invited to MC as a special guest on one of the big DnB stages. The reaction to Harry’s performance was electric and it inspired him to focus his energies within the drum and bass scene.
Within the space of six months, Harry had won the award for best newcomer at the National Drum N Bass Awards which was followed by winning the highly prestigious award for Best Lyrical MC. Following this he has gone on to win multiple coveted music awards and has broken out globally having played at huge events across Europe, Russia, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Canada and more.
In 2017 he was included in the Guinness Book of World Records for ‘Most Words in A Single’ for his track ‘Animal’, beating Eminem’s previous record for ‘Rap God’. Harry was also the focal point of the first drum and bass rave on the London Underground. The video, which attracted nearly ten million views online generated a massive positive response from the daily press.
As a respected lyricist, Harry is always looking for new challenges. He wrote and released his book ‘Twelve Months’ which delved deeper into the stories behind tracks from his recent mixtape of the same name. This was timely, as the opportunity came along to collaborate on a new storytelling adventure entitled ‘Consequences’. This unique immersive experience premiered at the Future of Storytelling Festival in New York followed up by being a major attraction at the Raindance Immersive festival in London.
Harry’s career goes from strength-to-strength with regular releases racking up 40+ million streams on Spotify and continuous live appearances at major music festivals. Summer ’24 saw Harry hit a multitude of stages across the country including Hospitality’s closing show at Printworks, Warehouse Project in Manchester and DNB Allstars sold out festival in Gunnersbury Park.
Across 2025, Harry’s desire to challenge himself and push the envelope has seen him sign to High Focus Records. With plans to return to his roots, the future is bright.
More on that soon…
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