Hearing his own work on a Drake record should have been a career highlight for songwriter Aviel Calev Hirschfield. Instead, he's taking the rapper to court, alleging that the chorus of "Janice STFU" came directly from a demo he submitted to Drake's producers months before its release. Hirschfield claims he was denied songwriting credit and compensation, despite providing recordings and other materials that he believes establish his contribution to the hit.
The copyright infringement lawsuit, filed Friday (Oct. 16), names Drake, OVO Sound, and Universal Music Group as defendants. According to Billboard, which obtained the complaint, Hirschfield alleges that the finished record contains a hook "literally identical" to his earlier work. The disagreement has also taken a contentious turn, with the songwriter accusing Drake's representatives of suggesting that he manipulated his recording files to support his claim.
Hirschfield isn't an unfamiliar name in Drake's professional circle. The two previously shared songwriting credits on "Heated," a track from Beyoncé's 2022 album Renaissance. He says he specifically intended his latest composition for Drake after receiving an instrumental from Michael "Finatik" Mulé and Isaac "Zac" De Boni, the production duo known as FNZ.
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Between December 2025 and January 2026, Hirschfield claims he developed a demo incorporating an interpolation of Lykke Li's 2011 song "I Follow Rivers." He subsequently sent the recording to FNZ and other producers associated with Drake, hoping it would make its way to the rapper. According to the complaint, he never received a response. That changed when Iceman arrived in May 2026. Hirschfield alleges that he was listening to "Janice STFU" when he recognized the chorus he had previously recorded. The lawsuit describes him as stunned to hear Drake performing the same lyrics, melody, and cadence from his submission.
The record became one of the biggest commercial successes of Drake's career, spending two weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100 and 20 weeks at No. 1 on the Hot Rap Songs chart. For Hirschfield, the success intensified a dispute over songwriting ownership and the royalties attached to a major hit.
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Drake's Team Allegedly Disputed Songwriter's Recording Evidence
Although both Hirschfield's demo and the released song incorporate "I Follow Rivers," his complaint concerns the additional writing he claims to have contributed. He alleges that he created the chorus heard on Drake's recording, including lyrics that were not part of Lykke Li's original composition. FNZ received songwriting credits on "Janice STFU," but Hirschfield says his name was excluded despite his involvement in developing the demo. After the song's release, he approached Drake's representatives seeking recognition as a co-writer and a share of the publishing royalties.
According to the complaint, his efforts were unsuccessful. Hirschfield alleges that Drake's attorneys maintained the rapper wrote the chorus himself. This was even after receiving audio stems and metadata that Hirschfield says document when his version was created. The disagreement over that evidence has become particularly heated. Hirschfield claims Drake's representatives suggested he altered the metadata to make his recording appear older than the released song. His attorneys reject that accusation, arguing that deliberately falsifying evidence against an artist he previously worked with would be professionally devastating.
"Such a deception would constitute career suicide by Avi," the complaint states.
That allegation introduces another contentious element to the dispute. Hirschfield isn't simply claiming that an established artist failed to credit a songwriter. He is also challenging the suggestion that he fabricated evidence to obtain credit for work he didn't create. His lawsuit seeks a portion of the profits generated by "Janice STFU," along with recognition for his alleged contribution. The complaint argues that excluding Hirschfield deprived him of substantial compensation and the professional benefits associated with helping write a major commercial hit.
Drake's representative declined to comment when contacted by Billboard. Universal Music Group had not responded to the publication's request for comment.
