Drake is hitting back at a copyright infringement lawsuit which alleges he stole the chorus of “Janice STFU” from another songwriter.
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he → hit → songwriter
Legal documents filed Oct. 16 in a California court allege the song’s chorus was written by Aviel Hirschfield, a Grammy-nominated songwriter.
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chorus → file → Hirschfield
Drake’s representatives call those claims “not merely disputed — we maintain that they are entirely fabricated.”
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they → call → claims
At the heart of the allegations is Drake’s summertime hit, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in May, marking his biggest chart success since his public beef with Kendrick Lamar.
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which → debut → Lamar
The song, which appears on his album “Iceman,” also drew attention when hundreds of women named Janice were invited to Drake apology parties held in Toronto and several U.S. cities.
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hundreds → appear → Toronto
“Janice STFU” interpolates the hook of “I Follow Rivers,” a 2011 song from Lykke Li.
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I → interpolate → Li
According to the legal filings, the idea to use that song came from Hirschfield while he was driving to Seattle last year in a luxury Maybach, on loan from a friend.
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he → accord → friend
In the filings, Hirschfield — a hip-hop performer who goes by Avi — says he knew Drake was a fan of Lykke Li, and had interpolated her work before, so he came up with the idea to reimagine another one of her songs for the rapper.
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he → go → rapper
In January, Hirschfield says he recorded a demo with his vocals over audio files of an existing composition by production duo and Drake collaborators FnZ.
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he → say → duo
He says the chorus, with original lyrics and melody, was inspired by his Seattle road trip, including the line: “Pull up Maybach, beep-beep, baby.”
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chorus → say → Maybach
A recording claimed to be the original demo at the centre of Drake’s ‘JANICE STFU’ lawsuit is circulating online 👀🚨 -
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recording → claim → lawsuit
Songwriter Aviel Hirschfield claims he recorded the demo in January 2026 and sent it to producers connected to Drake -
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he → claim → Drake
He alleges the chorus was copied for Drake’s song, claiming the lyrics and melody are identical - Drake’s team has denied the allegations, stating that he wrote the song himself October 20, 2026
Hirschfield says he passed copies of his recording to FnZ and “other producers” in hopes it would reach Drake.
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it → allege → Drake
He says he heard nothing until “Janice STFU,” which FnZ co-produced, was released and he “was stunned to hear Drake perform word-for-word, note-for-note, the exact same chorus” he wrote, without receiving credit.
A lawyer for Hirschfield confirmed to the Star that the alleged original demo, filed as part of the public documents related to the suit, was shared by several music publications this week.
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demo → say → publications
In the filing, Hirschfield’s lawyers contend the songs are “literally identical ... in lyrics, melody, and cadence.”
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songs → contend → lyrics
None of the allegations have been tested in court.
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None → test → court
Drake’s representatives issued a statement saying, “There is not one iota of truth to these accusations.”
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representatives → issue → accusations
“We firmly believe this lawsuit is a manufactured and baseless attempt to exploit Drake’s name, reputation, and success for financial gain and attention,” they wrote.
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they → believe → gain
“Drake wrote this song and has no connection or knowledge of this person, full stop.”
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Drake → write → person
Representatives for Universal Music Group did not respond to requests for comment.
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Representatives → respond → comment
Lawsuits over music copyrights have become increasingly common, with artists such as Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran and Sam Smith named in recent cases.
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artists → become → cases
Many of those claims are dismissed by a judge or settled out of court.
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Many → dismiss → court
Other copyright lawsuits have led to payouts, however.
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lawsuits → lead → payouts
Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams were ordered to pay nearly US$5 million to the estate of Marvin Gaye when a judge decided their 2013 hit song “Blurred Lines” had similarities with Gaye’s “Got to Give It Up.”
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song → order → It
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