Like Toy Soldiers

In the song "Loose Change", Ja Rule says Eminem claims his 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?".

[3] A positive overview came from J-23: ""Like Toy Soldiers" is among his best work here, from his production (complete with Martika sample), to his gripping recount, assessment and conclusion of the Benzino and Murder Inc beefs.

"[7] USA Today noted: "A military drumbeat drives Like Toy Soldiers, in which Eminem offers an explanation for his beef with the Murder Inc. rap clique, The Source magazine and its rapper/owner Benzino, and his part in a dispute between 50 Cent and Ja Rule.

"[8] RapReviews was less positive: "Continuing to wring out sympathy from his tear-soaked towel of a life, Eminem doubles-up with "Like Toy Soldiers," another self-produced, self-sorry introspection on the Slim Shady saga.

"[10] The New York Times described: "[Like] Toy Soldiers," scheduled to be the next single, recycles the 1980s pop hit by Martika so that Eminem can rehash his beefs with Ja Rule and the Source.

But the vitriol is mainly gone, and he sounds sad and clear-eyed, ending the rhyme by proposing a truce: "It's not a plea that I'm coppin'/I'm just willing to be the bigger man/If y'all can [quiet] poppin'/Off at the jaws [with the knockin'],/'Cause frankly I'm sick of talkin'/I'm not gonna let someone else's coffin/Rest on my conscience.

"[11]Stylus Magazine, however, is a bit negative: "perhaps you don’t mind that Em ruins maybe the best musical moment on the record, the Martika interpolation of “Like Toy Soldiers”, just so he can recapitulate ad nauseum [sic] the details of his pitiful n-word controversy (and somehow indirectly blame Afrocentrism for his youthful idiocy).

"[12] Entertainment Weekly was very critical of the song: "Instead of addressing other matters that extend beyond his immediate universe, he wastes time attacking his sworn enemies at The Source [in both 'Like Toy Soldiers' and 'Yellow Brick Road'].

[14] SPIN, however, seemed to put the song in a different light: "On 'Like Toy Soldiers,' over a stirring, 'Jesus Walks'-style loop of Martika's doleful '80s hit, Eminem brings light, not heat, to a couple years' worth of beefs, from 50 Cent's feud with the Murder Inc. crew to Em's conflict with rapper Benzino and The Source's edit staff, stating his case while resisting the urge to pour gas on any fires.

Deceased rappers including Tupac Shakur, The Notorious B.I.G., Big L, and Bugz are also shown via animation at the end of the music video to show the fatal consequences of rap wars.