Janice STFU has emerged as one of Drake’s most successful tracks in recent years, yet a lawsuit filed last week claims that the Toronto artist appropriated the hook — a charge that his representatives firmly reject.
The legal action, submitted on October 16 in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, asserts that the chorus was penned by Aviel (Avi) Hirschfield, a Grammy-winning hip-hop artist and producer with prior collaborations with Drake.
According to the lawsuit, Hirschfield was motivated to create the lyrics and melody while driving a borrowed luxury Maybach to Seattle, during which he listened to I Follow Rivers by Lykke Li, an artist Drake has sampled in the past and whom Hirschfield believed might be open to reinterpretation.
Hirschfield reportedly recorded a demo featuring his own vocals over an audio file produced by a duo recognized for their collaborations with Drake, known as FnZ. He then distributed it to several individuals, hoping it would eventually reach Drake.
Subsequently, the lawsuit claims that upon hearing Janice STFU, Hirschfield was shocked to find that Drake performed the identical chorus, word-for-word and note-for-note, that he (Avi) had recorded and shared with FnZ and other associated producers.
Drake’s team categorically denies these allegations as baseless.
How do the two songs compare? The version created by Hirschfield has surfaced online, and it can be listened to below.
In contrast, check out the video for Janice STFU released by Drake.
Janice STFU debuted in May, reaching No. 1 on both the Billboard Global 200 and the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. The track from ICEMAN marks Drake’s 14th chart-topping single, officially breaking his tie with Michael Jackson for the most No. 1 hits by a male solo artist.
Drake even organized a series of parties to apologize to individuals named Janice, who faced unwanted attention from the song.
Hirschfield did not receive co-writing credit and was excluded from the song’s revenue distribution.
Drake’s representatives stated he has “no connection or knowledge” of Hirschfield, as reported by Billboard, which first covered this story, asserting, “Let us be absolutely clear: These allegations are categorically, unequivocally, and completely denied.”
“There is not one iota of truth to these accusations, and we reject every attempt to portray these claims as established facts.”
Universal Music Group, also named as a defendant in the lawsuit, declined to comment on the matter, informing CBC News that it does not discuss ongoing litigation.