Drake’s recent hit song, “Janice STFU,” is facing legal scrutiny as a lawsuit filed last week alleges that the rapper plagiarized the chorus, a claim vehemently denied by his team.
According to the lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California on October 16, Grammy Award-winning hip-hop artist and producer Aviel (Avi) Hirschfield asserts that he penned the chorus while driving a luxury Maybach to Seattle, drawing inspiration from Lykke Li’s “I Follow Rivers,” a track previously sampled by Drake.
Hirschfield reportedly recorded a demo with his vocals over a music file produced by the duo FnZ, known for their collaborations with Drake, hoping it would reach the Toronto rapper. However, the lawsuit alleges that Drake’s “Janice STFU” featured an identical chorus to Hirschfield’s demo, causing him to be taken aback.
Drake’s team has refuted these accusations, labeling them as baseless. The comparison between the two tracks can be heard by listening to Hirschfield’s leaked version against Drake’s official release.
“Janice STFU” made a record-breaking debut at No. 1 on both the Billboard Global 200 and the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 charts. This track marks Drake’s 14th chart-topping single, breaking his tie with Michael Jackson for the most No. 1 hits by a male solo artist. In response to the song’s impact on individuals named Janice, Drake hosted apology events.
Despite his alleged contribution to the song, Hirschfield was not credited as a co-writer and was denied a share of the song’s profits. Drake’s representatives have disavowed any knowledge of Hirschfield, dismissing the plagiarism claims unequivocally.
Universal Music Group, also implicated in the lawsuit, has chosen not to comment on the ongoing legal proceedings.