DaBaby’s “Save Me” Music Video Honors Iryna Zarutska
Rapper DaBaby just dropped a music video for his new track “Save Me,” and fans are already in deep conversation about it.
The Cleveland-born rapper filmed the video in Charlotte, directly tying it to the tragic stabbing of 21-year-old Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska, who was murdered on a city light rail train.
The video flips the heartbreaking narrative, showing an alternate ending where Zarutska’s life is saved instead of stolen. Directed by DaBaby himself, the project immediately stirred conversation across platforms like X (Twitter), Instagram, and TikTok. Social users have been split, some calling it bold and meaningful, while others feel it was too graphic.
The opening moments feature a playback of a local news report and the chilling surveillance footage of the attack. The screen then cuts to DaBaby in a black hoodie on the train, seated next to an actor portraying the accused knifeman, Decarlos Brown.
“Think you could save me like your God or something,” DaBaby raps as he locks eyes with the character.
That moment alone sparked thousands of comments online, with some fans saying it was the first time they had seen DaBaby approach a subject this heavy with so much rawness.
Reenacting A Real-Life Tragedy In “Save Me”
The reenactment is what has everybody talking. The actor playing Zarutska is dressed in her real-life work uniform, rocking a “Jupiter’s Pizzeria” shirt and hat. The Brown character mimics the real surveillance footage, rubbing his head and face before reaching into his pocket for the weapon.
DaBaby doesn’t shy away from inserting himself in the middle of the deadly encounter. As the actor pulls out a knife resembling the one used in the real-life murder, the rapper suddenly steps in to stop it.
“I’m gonna put my faith in God,” he rhymes as the screen freezes on his tattooed hand grabbing the weapon before it strikes.
The video then flips the script: instead of a stabbing, the actress playing Zarutska walks away safe, adjusting her neck. The clip ends with DaBaby and Brown exiting the train unnoticed, sliding past security officers like nothing happened.
The video closes by spotlighting a GoFundMe page for Zarutska’s family, urging viewers to support. That detail gained praise across socials, with many saying it gave weight to what could’ve been just another rap video.