Daniel Burton began MCing as a teenager, first on pirate radio before moving on to London rave events in the early 1990s. Known as MC Shabba D, he started on Rush FM and was performing at raves by 1991. His work sits in UK drum and bass and jungle, and he has also been described as a rave MC and promoter. Alongside performing, Burton has worked on events and brands including Highly Blessed, Sticky and MC Convention. In 2008, he co-founded the High3r L3v3l record label and crew.
MC Shabba D’s partnership with MC Skibadee became known as S.A.S. In an interview, Shabba D recalled forming an earlier MC group with Skibadee and Shockin, who later focused more on DJing. The S.A.S. partnership fed into the larger SaSaSaS group, where Shabba D performed with Harry Shotta, Skibadee, Phantasy and Macky Gee. Releases connected with his work have appeared on Bankroll Records, Higher Level, Mutant Species Records and SaSaSaS. His release credits include the 2018 EP Nocturnal Insomniacs, credited to SaSaSaS, and the single “We Love Drum & Bass” with DJ Phantasy and Macky Gee.
In 2022, MC Shabba D released the album Life of an MC LP and the single “Ball Bags” with Mr Traumatik and Swifta on Higher Level. The same year brought “ACTIVATE”, a single with Benny L on TRES-2B Music LTD. A podcast interview that year covered his career and involvement with SaSaSaS. His other release credits include the single “Set the place alight” with Devilman and Dub Justice, released on Wunsen Music in 2023.
In 2026, MC Shabba D was credited on the singles “Priorities”, with Frenzee and Mr Traumatik, and “Ready Set”, with MC Endo and Nu Elementz. He performed at The Cottons Club in Hoxton on 4 October 2026. In an earlier interview, he discussed his relationship with Heartless Crew and a record label he was developing.
