Drake is facing a copyright infringement lawsuit from Grammy-winning songwriter Aviel Calev Hirschfield, who alleges the rapper copied a chorus he recorded and sent to producers in Drake’s circle months before the release of “Janice STFU,” according to TMZ. The complaint was filed October 16 in California federal court and names the Toronto rapper, OVO Sound, UMG Recordings and Universal Music Publishing as defendants.
Hirschfield, who records as GoodbyeCalev, claims he completed his demo around January 25, 2026, and sent it to production duo FnZ and other producers connected to Drake. He says the chorus on “Janice STFU,” released in May on Iceman, matches his recording in lyrics, melody and cadence.
The lawsuit says he conceived the disputed hook after hearing Lykke Li’s “I Follow Rivers” and imagining how its melody could be reworked for Drake. “Janice STFU” also interpolates the Swedish singer’s song.
Hirschfield alleges that his manager provided Drake’s representatives with audio stems containing metadata intended to establish when the demo was created. According to the complaint, Drake’s camp disputed his authorship and sent him a cease-and-desist letter over his public claims to the chorus.
Drake’s representative rejected the allegations in a statement to TMZ, saying they were “categorically, unequivocally, and completely denied.” The representative called the lawsuit a “manufactured and baseless attempt” to exploit Drake’s name, adding that “Drake wrote this song and has no connection or knowledge of this person full stop.” (Hirschfield and Drake both worked on Beyoncé’s “Heated,” from her 2022 album Renaissance, though there is no evidence the two ever met.)
Hirschfield is seeking damages, profits allegedly generated by the infringement and legal fees. The complaint does not specify a dollar amount or ask for the track to be removed from streaming services.
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