Webster’s dictionary describes “Thanataphobia” as being the morbid fear of death, a definition that completely caught me off guard after watching Dayda Banks’s video through the first time. However, after I watched the music video over again with the true meaning of the title in the back of my mind, I started to see how the name really does coincide with the video.
If you haven’t heard of the name Dayda Banks by now, STOP what you’re doing and download his mixtape Roy Meets World before you continue any further with this article. If you have heard of Dayda Banks you’ll understand why I have placed such an urgency on hearing his music. “Thanataphobia” unfortunately is not listed as one of the songs on this mixtape, but I am certain that after listening through his work you’ll be hooked.
The Saskatoon-based emcee has made a big impact in the Canadian Hip Hop scene with his unique wordplay and one of a kind, flawless flow which can be heard in the visuals below. Throughout the video we see Dayda Banks and DillyBat taking us to their favourite spots in what I’m assuming is their hometown of Saskatoon. The video itself is pretty simplistic, with Dayda rapping along to the lyrics while sitting at a bar with friends sharing drinks or walking through a local park. The simplistic theme works in this case because as the hook states, “This my life and I’mma show you how it goes, this my life and I’mma show you how I roll.” Dayda is just letting us witness a day in his life, it’s not necessarily the funnest life or even the most exciting video out there, but it does give us somewhat of an idea as to who Dayda Banks is as a person which, by the looks of the video, makes him seem like a really laid back, mild mannered and respectable guy.
So why does the title of this track coincide with the video? Well in my opinion, based off of the lyrics and the actual video itself, I think the name “Thanataphobia” is perfect because we can see and hear how much Dayda treasures the life he lives and the place he is at right now as a performer. He has a morbid fear of death because he has just been introduced to the life he has worked so hard to get at and the fact that it could all be gone in an instant terrifies him.
The video is an entertaining one but most of all, the song itself is fantastic. The hook, sung by DillyBat, takes away from the track slightly in my opinion, but Dayda’s lyrics and heavy metaphors will make you completely forget about all the lower points in this song. If you would like to read up more about Dayda Banks, make sure to check out our interview with him. As well, don’t forget to click on the video below so you too can witness a day in the life of Dayda Banks.
