DaBaby faces backlash over ‘Save Me’ video reimagining killing of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska

DaBaby has sparked criticism after releasing the music video for his new single "Save Me", which depicts a reimagined version of the tragic killing of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska.

The Charlotte-born rapper, real name Jonathan Kirk, framed the visual as a tribute to Zarutska, but fans and commentators have questioned both the timing and execution.

In late August, Zarutska, aged 23, was fatally stabbed in an unprovoked attack on a Charlotte light rail train. The suspect, 35-year-old Decarlos Brown Jr., has since been charged with murder. The shocking case prompted widespread grief, with political leaders including President Donald Trump weighing in.

DaBaby’s "Save Me" video reimagines the incident by altering the ending to show the rapper intervening as the hero. While the video includes a dedication to Zarutska and directs viewers to donate to her memorial fundraiser, many viewers felt the portrayal was inappropriate and self-serving.

Critics argued that dramatising such a recent and sensitive tragedy risked overshadowing the victim’s memory.

Social media reactions labelled the video “tone deaf” and “self-aggrandising,” with some of DaBaby’s own fans voicing disappointment. One widely shared response stated that the visual turned a real-life murder into “a performance piece about the artist rather than the victim.”

The music video adds to DaBaby’s history of controversies, including an incident in July 2021 when the rapper made homophobic remarks during his performance at Rolling Loud Miami.

He said things about HIV/AIDS that were widely criticised as false and offensive.

After the backlash, he was removed from several festival lineups, several brands ended collaborations, and he issued an apology—though the apology was later deleted.