After getting a copy of the album "Licensed to Ill", from the Beastie Boys group as a teenager, Marshall became interested in hip-hop. He began to make raps at the age of 14 under the pseudonym "M&M". Shortly after that, he joined the Bassmint Productions group, which released an EP titled "Steppin' onto the Scene". After the release of the EP, Marshall left the group and changed his stage name to "Soul Intent", and released his first single called "Fuckin' Backstabber" in 1995 under the independent record label Mashin' Duck Records. Despite being a student at Lincoln High School in Warren, he would sneak out and often participated in freestyle battles at Osborn High School in eastern Detroit. Even though most of the hip-hop members in his state were African-Americans, Marshall ended up being well accepted by the underground hip-hop public. After repeating the ninth grade three times for truancy and low grades, he dropped out of school at age 17. Although he dropped out of school, he eventually got his GED. In 1991, his uncle, Ronnie Polkingharn, committed suicide. Mathers was very close to him and was devastated by this fact. He has a tattoo remembering him on his left arm that says "Ronnie RIP".