"Like Toy Soldiers" | ||||||||
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Single by Eminem | ||||||||
from the album Encore | ||||||||
Released | January 24, 2005 | |||||||
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Recorded | 2004 | |||||||
Genre | Conscious hip hop | |||||||
Length | 4:56 | |||||||
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Eminem singles chronology | ||||||||
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"Like Toy Soldiers" is a song by American rapper Eminem, from his fifth album Encore (2004). "Like Toy Soldiers" received positive reviews from music critics, and peaked at number 34 on the Billboard Hot 100. Outside the United States, "Like Toy Soldiers" topped the charts in the United Kingdom and peaked within the top 10 of the charts in 12 countries, including Australia and New Zealand. The song samples "Toy Soldiers" by Martika.
"Like Toy Soldiers" tells the story of Eminem's attempts to calm a violent community of rappers. Eminem speaks openly about problems with The Source magazine and its editor Benzino, as well as the situation between 50 Cent and Ja Rule and his label Murder Inc., which Eminem felt went far beyond the Jay Z vs. Nas feud. The song finishes as Eminem offers a truce to his enemies. In addition, this song also reveals that Eminem had tried to stop Ja Rule & 50 Cent's feud, but lost it when he heard Ja Rule making fun of his daughter on a track called "Loose Change" - ("The Ja Shit, I tried to squash it, It was too late to stop it, There's a certain line you just don't cross and he crossed it, I heard him say Hailie's name on a song and I just lost it"). In the song "Loose Change", Ja Rule says Eminem claims his then ex-wife is "a known slut" and his mother "a crackhead", and then asks him "so what's Hailie gonna be when she grows up?". "Like Toy Soldiers" was later included on Eminem's compilation album Curtain Call: The Hits in 2005. Throughout his career, Eminem, at most, only alludes to Suge Knight, completing a line in this song, "my intentions were good, I went through my whole career without ever mentioning -." Styles P used the instrumental version in his song "Soldiers Song", in 2005.