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New Young Fathers Video For 'Toy' Imagines Dictators As Spoiled Children

Dictators as children. That's the frightening prospect put forward in this video and song by Young Fathers called, "Toy"

The song kicks off with the words, "I got ss-stammers and no manners / I'm the man that's gonna play it for keeps / Oceanic cinematic appetite for something bigger than free."

With imagery of a child decked-out in military garb, what happens in the next few moments is chilling. Director Salomon Ligthelm wrote to say that the inspiration for this film was sparked by seeing and image of North Korea's Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un in a crib playing with his toys. And when he heard the Young Fathers song, "that image came to mind immediately. The tone of the track is so visceral and abrasive, which I think marries the political subject matter perfectly. I honestly just really like the idea of seeing dictators behaving like spoilt little children - pissed with the world, because things aren't going their way. Looking at the political climate of our time, I'd say truth is certainly stranger than fiction."

Young Father wrote about the process of making this music video that "once it is done, it is yours. We gave 'Toy' to Solomon (Ligthelm) who listened and saw dictators as children playing a game of 'who has the most power.' What do you see when you listen?"

The song "Toy" is from this multi-country trio's third album, Cocoa Sugar

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

In 1988, a determined Bob Boilen started showing up on NPR's doorstep every day, looking for a way to contribute his skills in music and broadcasting to the network. His persistence paid off, and within a few weeks he was hired, on a temporary basis, to work for All Things Considered. Less than a year later, Boilen was directing the show and continued to do so for the next 18 years.