Drake’s 40th birthday party gave guests a chance to win cash prizes ranging from tens of thousands of dollars to $1 million.
The rapper gathered more than 400 friends and relatives at New York’s Casa Cipriani on Friday, October 23, sources told TMZ. He turned 40 the following day. The private club occupies Lower Manhattan’s historic Battery Maritime Building, overlooking New York Harbor.
Handbags from Chanel and Hermès were also among the giveaways. TMZ later described the game as modeled on Deal or No Deal.
“Tonight is just about being alive, staying alive,” Drake told guests during a speech, according to Complex.
Backstreet Boys Joined Drake for a Birthday Duet
Drake performing “I Want It That Way” with the Backstreet Boys at his 40th birthday party 😭🔥
Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, AJ McLean, Brian Littrell and Kevin Richardson took the stage for a surprise performance, with Drake joining them to sing their 1999 hit “I Want It That Way.”
The rapper exclaimed, “Oh my God,” when the group appeared, TMZ reported.
His 2022 Performance Came With a Bar Mitzvah Story
On July 2, 2022, Drake joined the group at Toronto’s Budweiser Stage during its DNA World Tour. The singers introduced him as their unofficial sixth member before he explained his connection to the song.
At his bar mitzvah when he was 13, Drake recalled, a girl he liked approached him while the track was playing and asked him to dance. “It was the first time I ever felt acknowledged,” he told the audience, according to iHeart. He said the encounter gave him hope that he could be cool.
The performance incorporated parts of his own “Hold On, We’re Going Home.” As CityNews Toronto reported, the band also let him sing the closing line of its hit.
Drake Has Given Designer Handbags to Birthday Guests and Fans
At Drake’s 32nd birthday party in 2018, female attendees reportedly received classic Chanel handbags as they left. British Vogue, citing Page Six, documented the favors at the celebration.
That party followed an early-2000s theme, with a room styled like a 7-Eleven, a Blockbuster Video wall and a cake shaped like a Motorola pager. Guests could also collect airbrushed shirts featuring Drake’s Degrassi headshot.
In 2023, he gave concertgoer Nicolette Valenti a brown Hermès Birkin at Miami’s Kaseya Center, TMZ reported.
The Birthday Week Began at Toronto’s CN Tower
Drake gathered with friends at the CN Tower on Wednesday, October 21, before traveling to New York. Jamaican dancehall artist and OVO Sound signee Popcaan was among those attending, according to XXL.
His friends surprised him with a collage of photographs and memories. He later boarded his customized Air Drake plane with his mother and entourage for the trip to Manhattan.
On Thursday, October 22, he dined with friends at Mamo in SoHo. The Cut noted his fringed brown poncho, which he paired with black leather pants and a black sweatshirt.
Drake Received 30 New or Updated RIAA Certifications
Friday’s update to the Recording Industry Association of America database included 30 new or upgraded certifications for Drake’s catalog. Billboard Canada reported that he became the first artist to surpass 350 million RIAA-certified units. His album Views and songs “In My Feelings” and “Marvins Room” reached Diamond status, which recognizes 10 million eligible units.
“God’s Plan” earned a double-Diamond award representing 20 million certified song units, a measure that includes eligible streaming equivalents. OVO Sound said the upgrades brought his Diamond-certified singles tally to 18, including both lead and featured credits.
Iceman, released on May 15 alongside Habibti and Maid of Honour, earned platinum certification for one million units. The three albums debuted at Nos. 1, 2 and 3, respectively, on the Billboard 200, the first such sweep in the chart’s history. Iceman became his 15th No. 1 album. His career Hot 100 tally reached 402 entries that same May chart week.