Drake Marks 40th Birthday in New York: Sings With Backstreet Boys as Guests Win Cash Prizes Up to $1 Million
Canadian rapper Drake turned 40 on Saturday, October 24, and celebrated the night before with a party at Casa Cipriani in Manhattan attended by about 400 guests, according to an exclusive source who spoke to People. The insider described the evening as "so elegant, over the top and expensive," adding that "the whole place was decorated very lavish, but tasteful."
Though it was his birthday, Drake was the one giving out gifts, the source said: guests received Chanel and Hermès bags, and cash prizes starting at $10,000, with the biggest prize totaling $1 million. The Backstreet Boys performed at the party, and Drake joined Nick Carter, AJ McLean, Kevin Richardson, Brian Littrell and Howie Dorough onstage to sing their 1999 hit "I Want It That Way" — a repeat of 2022, when he performed the same song with the group at their Toronto concert. According to Just Jared, a second celebration followed on Saturday night at Delilah in New York, with Travis Scott and Jack Harlow among the guests spotted arriving, and Drake performing alongside Popcaan. The birthday week had begun in his hometown of Toronto, with a gathering at the CN Tower.
The milestone coincided with a career landmark. Per Billboard, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) awarded Drake 30 new certifications on Friday, making him the first artist in history to surpass 350 million RIAA-certified units. People also noted that in May he broke Michael Jackson's long-standing record for the most No. 1 songs by a solo male artist, with the release of "Janice STFU."
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: Drake在Summer Sixteen巡演舞台上表演（2016年资料照片），The Come Up Show摄，CC BY 2.0（Wikimedia Commons）；Drake performing on the Summer Sixteen Tour (2016 file photo), photo by The Come Up Show, CC BY 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
