Songwriter Aviel Calev Hirschfield sued Drake, OVO Sound and UMG on Friday, claiming the chorus of the No. 1 hit “Janice STFU” is literally identical to a demo he sent Drake’s producers months earlier.
According to the complaint, first obtained by Billboard, Hirschfield wrote the eight-line chorus in December 2025 and January 2026 over a beat from FNZ, the producer duo Michael “Finatik” Mulé and Isaac “Zac” De Boni, interpolating Lykke Li’s “I Follow Rivers.” He wrote it specifically for Drake and sent the demo to FNZ and other Drake producers. Nobody replied. The complaint says: “Fifteen seconds in, Avi was stunned to hear Drake perform word-for-word, note-for-note, beat-by-beat, the exact same chorus that he had recorded and sent.”
Hirschfield is not a stranger here: he and Drake share a credit on Beyoncé’s “Heated” from 2022, and FNZ are credited co-writers on “Janice STFU” itself, which spent two weeks at No. 1 on the Hot 100 and 20 weeks atop Hot Rap Songs, Drake’s longest run there. Hirschfield says he gave Drake’s side his stems and metadata and asked for credit and a publishing split, was accused of manipulating his files, and now wants a cut of the profits and damages.
“These allegations are categorically, unequivocally and completely denied. There is not one iota of truth to these accusations.”
Drake’s team, in a statement Friday
Drake’s team called the suit a manufactured, baseless attempt to exploit his name, insisting Drake wrote the song and has no connection to Hirschfield. UMG did not immediately comment, and the claims have not been proven in court.
See also: Drake Is Skipping the Grammys Again, and This Time He Rapped the Reason | Drake Owned the Whole Summer, and Spotify’s Numbers Prove It