Drake Celebrates 40th Birthday With Backstreet Boys Performance And $1m Prize

Drake marked his 40th birthday with an extravagant celebration in New York, featuring luxury gifts, cash giveaways and a surprise appearance by the Backstreet Boys.

The rapper hosted more than 400 guests at Casa Cipriani on Friday, October 23, ahead of his birthday the following day. According to TMZ, partygoers received designer gifts, including Chanel and Hermès handbags, while a game show offered prizes ranging from tens of thousands of dollars to $1 million.

The evening’s standout moment came when the Backstreet Boys performed before bringing Drake onstage to join them for their 1999 hit I Want It That Way.

Addressing guests, the Canadian star said the occasion was not about promoting music or a tour but about “being alive, staying alive”.

The celebration followed several days of birthday activities in Drake’s hometown of Toronto. Earlier in the week, he met friends at the CN Tower, where he received a collage of photographs and personal memories. Jamaican dancehall star Popcaan was among those present.

Drake subsequently travelled to New York with his mother and entourage aboard his customised Boeing 767, known as Air Drake. He was also spotted at SoHo restaurant Mamo on Thursday.

The reunion with the Backstreet Boys revived a moment from July 2022, when the group invited Drake onstage during their Toronto tour stop and jokingly welcomed him as their “sixth member”.

At the time, Drake revealed that I Want It That Way held a special place in his memory, recalling how a girl he liked had asked him to dance to the song at his bar mitzvah.