Drake’s “Janice STFU” Lawsuit: The Demo at the Center of It Is Now Public

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The recording at the center of the “Janice STFU” lawsuit is now public, and the internet has already picked sides. Complex posted it Monday night (Oct. 19), saying it was made public as part of the evidence in the case. Producer Aviel Hirschfield’s chorus starts at the 45-second mark.

Hirschfield sued Drake on Friday (Oct. 16), alleging that the chorus of the Iceman hit was lifted from a demo he recorded in January. The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, names Drake, OVO Sound, UMG Recordings and Universal Music Publishing, Complex reported. It calls the chorus a “literal, word-for-word, note-for-note taking.”

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As Complex summarizes the filing, Hirschfield wrote an eight-line chorus over an instrumental from the production duo FnZ between December 2025 and January 2026, with Drake in mind. He finished the recording around Jan. 25 and sent it to FnZ and other producers in Drake’s circle; no one replied, per the filing. He says he first heard “Janice STFU” around May 15 and registered his work with the Copyright Office effective July 21. FnZ produced the song and are credited as songwriters. Hirschfield isn’t. HotNewHipHop notes that both the demo and the released song build on Lykke Li’s “I Follow Rivers,” so his claim rests on the lyrics and melody he says he added.

Drake’s camp rejects all of it. “These allegations are categorically, unequivocally, and completely denied,” a representative told TMZ, and the rep added that “Drake wrote this song and has no connection or knowledge of this person, full stop.”

According to the complaint, Drake’s side has also accused Hirschfield of manipulating the metadata on his files and sent a cease-and-desist letter demanding that he stop publicly claiming authorship. His filing answers the first charge directly:

Such a deception would constitute career suicide by Avi

Hirschfield’s complaint, HotNewHipHop

Complex pairs the demo with the released song for comparison. Drake’s official “Janice STFU” video is below; the demo itself is on Complex and The FADER.

The FADER reports that some online treated the demo as definitive proof, while others doubted the recording, with some suggesting it was AI-made. “Nothing has been proven in a court of law, and Drake continues to deny any wrongdoing,” HotNewHipHop wrote.

The song is too big for this to stay small. “Janice STFU” debuted at No. 1 on the Hot 100 in May, and Complex says it went on to log two weeks at No. 1 and 20 weeks atop Hot Rap Songs. Hirschfield, who shares songwriting credits with Drake on “Heated,” from Beyoncé’s Renaissance, is seeking disgorgement of profits, actual or enhanced statutory damages, interest and attorneys’ fees.

No court response from Drake or UMG has been reported yet. Until there is one, the demo is evidence offered by one side, and every claim here remains an allegation.