As a skinny white kid growing up in Detroit, Marshall Mathers had a tough time in school and ended up repeating at least one grade before ultimately dropping out. He used his experiences to fuel early lyrics, like in “Brain Damage,” where he rapped, “Way before my baby daughter Hailie/ I was harassed daily by this fat kid named D’Angelo Bailey/ An eighth grader who acted obnoxious, cause his father boxes/ so everyday he’d shove me in the lockers.” But because he was a quiet, unassuming kid who withdrew into his writing, he started performing early too, becoming a fixture at rap battles in his city.