Meaning
A gunman, gangster, or armed enforcer — a 'badman' who carries and uses a gun. The word runs all through dancehall's gun talk, worn by some as a badge of feared, ruthless power, and it gave its name to a well-known Jamaican crime film. A shotta is one who lives and rules by the gun, and the term carries the whole weight of the violence, dread, and hard glamour that surround the armed enforcer in the harsher corners of Jamaican life and music.
Examples
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Di area run by shotta.
The area is run by gunmen.
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Him a chat like a shotta inna di song.
He's rapping like a gunman in the song.
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Shotta business only bring death.
Gangster life only brings death.
Origin
From 'shooter' — one who shoots — reshaped in Jamaican to 'shotta' for a gunman.
How it’s used
Belongs to dancehall's violent 'gun tune' vocabulary. Glorified in some songs and condemned in others.