From hypersexualized visuals to religious imagery deemed by many to be sacrilegious, DaBaby is no stranger to fielding harsh criticisms for the cinematic music videos he’s released over the years.
But, if the backlash that’s ensued from his latest clip is anything to judge by, he may have finally taken it too far.
In late August, viewers across the world watched in horror as a video circulated of the savage murder of a young Ukrainian refugee on a Charlotte, North Carolina light rail train.
23-year-old Iryna Zarutska was stabbed to death in an unprovoked attack by a 35-year-old man identified as Decarlos Brown, Jr. who has since been charged with murder for the crime.
Amid international conversation about the heart-wrenching topic (including weigh-ins from President Donald Trump), Charlotte native DaBaby (born Jonathan Kirk) tapped in by delivering a music video for his latest single ‘Save Me.’
And while his intentions may have been pure given his dedication of the clip to Zarutska and even directing viewers to donate to the GoFundMe fundraiser designed to honor her memory, many critics felt the visual’s take on the sensitive and very recent subject matter was tone deaf.
As seen above, Kirk reimagines the murder by changing the ending to make himself the hero – a move that’s been deemed “self-aggrandizing” and garnered major blowback from his own fans as well as viewers who feel emotionally tied to the incident.
