Theo Jerome Kerlin, born 7 May 1989 in Mitcham, England, is a British MC and singer known professionally as Master Shortie. He was exposed to diverse music through his father’s jazz bar, which fostered an early interest in rapping at age twelve. Master Shortie began performing with The Kidz in the Biz Academy and briefly attended the BRIT School before pursuing a BTEC in Music Technology at Nescot, where he produced his first tracks with underground producer Sparky. His breakthrough came with the 2008 single "Dead End" and the 2009 single "Dance Like A White Boy", followed by the album A.D.H.D. in July 2009. The album featured "Swagger Chick" with Vanessa White. Master Shortie supported acts such as Hadouken! and Basement Jaxx, played at the 2009 Wireless Festival, and opened for Lil Wayne in October 2009. In March 2010 he signed with Hitz Committee, RCA, and Sony under his label Odd One Out. Subsequent releases included the mixtape Studying Abroad (2012) and the EP Nobody Taught Me (2013), featuring singles like "Where I'm At".