Mars ILL is an emcee/DJ hip-hop duo from Atlanta, Georgia. The duo consists of Manchild (vocals) and DJ Dust (production). Before the two met, Dust was part of a hip-hop trio known as deadpoetsociety and Manchild was working with a group known as The Pride under the name “Soulheir the Manchild.” The two of them met at a hip-hop conference in Florida in 1998, and Mars ILL was formed shortly thereafter.
The name “Mars ILL” is a shortened version of Mars Hill (“ill” being a slang term with a meaning similar to “cool” or “dope”), which is mentioned in the biblical book of Acts.
“ILL” is often capitalized for clarity, as it is easily mistaken for the Roman number “III,” for 3.

Both Manchild and DJ Dust are also part of the hip-hop collective and supergroup Deepspace5.