Drake’s legal team maintains that the 6ix God wrote the chorus entirely on his own, dismissing the idea that he lifted the hook from a previous collaborator’s demo.
Insiders whisper that Drake’s camp is playing hardball, allegedly accusing Hirschfield of manipulating metadata to fake the timeline—a move the plaintiff calls 'career suicide.'
Hirschfield’s demo was sent in early 2026; 'Janice STFU' spent 20 weeks at No. 1 on Hot Rap Songs. The lawsuit cites identical lyrics including 'From Vancouver, you a BC, baby.'
If the metadata holds up, Drake might just have to share the throne—and the publishing checks.
The 6ix God is under fire, and this time, the receipts look spicy. Drake has been hit with a lawsuit over his massive hit “Janice STFU,” with composer Aviel Calev Hirschfield alleging that the song’s catchy chorus is “literally identical” to a demo he sent to Drake’s team earlier this year. Filed on Friday, Oct. 16, the complaint claims Drake “shamelessly” used the work without credit or compensation, turning a fan’s dream collaboration into a legal nightmare.
Hirschfield, who previously co-wrote Beyoncé’s 2022 track “Heated” with Drake, claims he crafted the demo in December 2025 and January 2026. He built it over an audio bed provided by frequent Drake collaborators Michael “Finatik” Mulé and Isaac “Zac” De Boni, known collectively as FNZ. The lawsuit states Hirschfield specifically wrote the song for Drake, interpolating Lykke Li’s 2011 hit “I Follow Rivers.” However, after sending the finished demo to FNZ and other producers, Hirschfield says he got radio silence—until he heard his own work blasting through his speakers when Iceman dropped on streaming.
The complaint describes a moment of pure shock: “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 (Avi) had recorded and sent.” The lyrics in question include the viral lines: “Reach me, baby/ Call my phone and say you need me, baby/ I’m so green, you gotta teach me, baby/ From Vancouver, you a BC, baby.” Despite FNZ being credited as co-writers on the final track, Hirschfield argues the hook belongs to him, noting that “Janice STFU” has dominated the charts, spending two weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and a record-breaking 20 weeks atop the Hot Rap Songs chart.
Drake’s camp isn’t backing down. The lawsuit alleges that Drake’s lawyers “shamelessly refuse to acknowledge Avi’s authorship,” even after Hirschfield provided stems and metadata proving the demo predated the release. Instead, Drake’s representatives are reportedly taking the “absurd position” that Hirschfield manipulated file metadata to make it seem like he wrote the song first.
The complaint fires back, stating such deception would be “career suicide” for a massive Drake fan with aspirations of future work. Now, Hirschfield is suing Drake, OVO Sound, and Universal Music Group for copyright infringement and a cut of the profits.
