Eminem - Like Toy Soldiers hits 100 Million Views

Eminem - Like Toy Soldiers hits 100 Million Views on YouTube. It's Eminem's 8th song to do that.

"Like Toy Soldiers" is a song by American rapper Eminem from his fifth album Encore. The song samples 1989 song "Toy Soldiers" by Martika and the main title theme from 1972 film The Hot Rock.[1] The song reached number thirty-four on the Billboard Hot 100 in February 2005[2], number one in the United Kingdom and the top ten in many other European countries, as well as Australia and New Zealand.

"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. Records, which Eminem felt went far beyond the Jay-Z–Nas feud.[3] The song finishes as Eminem offers a truce to his enemies. "Like Toy Soldiers" features a vocal sample from "Toy Soldiers" by Martika, which makes up the chorus. 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 in his song and I just lost it"). In the song Ja Rule called Eminem's then ex-wife "a known slut" and his mother "a crackhead" and in addition he referenced Hailie by asking him what she's going to be "when she grows up".[4] "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.[5]

Released in early 2005, the song's video starts with two young boys, one who is white and one who is black, reading a book called "Toy Soldiers," which contains the lyrics of this song. It begins at the hospital where Eminem and other rappers are watching, in despair, the doctors trying to save Bugz. Then Eminem is seen in a series of scenes rapping the song in a deserted alleyway. Then, it goes through a series of scenes showing the various feuds mentioned in this song. They include seeing the news, rappers battling in studios, and street encounters. Near the end, Eminem stands shocked seeing the shooting of Bugz. It switches back to the hospital, where Bugz dies and finishes at his funeral, which has a choir in which the black kid and the white kid from the beginning sing. Cameo appearances in the video include 50 Cent, Luis Resto, Dr. Dre, Obie Trice, and D12. Deceased rappers 2Pac, The Notorious B.I.G., Big L, and Bugz are also shown at the end of the music video to show the fatal consequences of rap wars.
Proof, who played Bugz in the video, would be shot and killed one year later in 2006.