Drake Celebrates 40th Birthday With Backstreet Boys Performance in New York as RIAA Awards Him 30 New Certifications

Drake marked his 40th birthday with a private party in New York City on Friday, Oct. 23, where the Backstreet Boys performed and the rapper joined the group onstage for their 1999 hit "I Want It That Way," Billboard's Jessica Lynch reported. The celebration at Casa Cipriani took place hours before the Toronto rapper officially turned 40 on Saturday, Oct. 24.

The party came on the same day the Recording Industry Association of America awarded Drake 30 new certifications. Billboard's Michael Saponara reported that the new plaques make Drake the first artist to surpass 350 million RIAA-certified units.

Inside the New York party

TMZ, citing sources at the party, reported that Drake hosted more than 400 friends and family members at Casa Cipriani on Friday night. According to TMZ's sources, guests received luxury giveaways that included designer handbags from Chanel and Hermès, and Drake organized a game show in which attendees could win cash prizes ranging from tens of thousands of dollars up to $1 million. Billboard's account of the gifts and the game show is attributed to TMZ. Neither outlet reported how much prize money was actually paid out or who won.

Billboard reported that the Backstreet Boys performed for the crowd before Drake joined them for "I Want It That Way." The outlet also reported that Drake addressed the guests about the milestone. "Tonight isn't about a tour, an album release, or a bunch of videos we shot," he told the room, according to Billboard. "It's about being alive, staying alive."

The appearance was not the first time Drake and the Backstreet Boys have shared a stage. According to Billboard, the group brought Drake onstage in July 2022 during a DNA World Tour stop at Toronto's Budweiser Stage, introduced him as their "sixth member" and performed "I Want It That Way" with him. Billboard reported that Drake told the audience that night that the song was connected to a memory from his bar mitzvah, when a girl he liked asked him to dance. "That was the first time I ever felt acknowledged, and the first time I ever felt like I had a shot at being cool," he said at the time, according to Billboard, which reported that he called the track "one of the greatest songs of all time."

A week of celebrations

The New York event followed several days of birthday activity. HotNewHipHop, citing XXL, reported that Drake began the festivities in Toronto with a private gathering at the CN Tower on Wednesday, Oct. 21, attended by close friends and colleagues including Popcaan, who presented him with a collage of photos. Billboard separately reported that the week also included a courtside appearance at the Toronto Raptors' home opener.

Drake then traveled to New York with his mother and members of his entourage aboard Air Drake, his customized Boeing 767, according to Billboard, and was spotted dining at the SoHo restaurant Mamo on Thursday night, Oct. 22.

Thirty new certifications

According to Billboard, the RIAA's Oct. 23 update included Diamond certifications for the 2016 album "Views" and the singles "In My Feelings" and "Marvin's Room," while "God's Plan" reached double Diamond. Complex noted that Diamond status signifies 10 million units in sales and streaming equivalents. Billboard listed additional album certifications for "More Life" (6x platinum), "Certified Lover Boy" (5x), "Scorpion" (9x), "Care Package" (1x) and "So Far Gone" (3x), and reported that "Iceman," released in May, went platinum about five months after its arrival. Singles certified in the update include "One Dance" at 15x platinum, "Knife Talk" at 8x and "Way 2 Sexy" at 4x.

Billboard reported that the update extends Drake's record to 18 Diamond plaques, the most of any artist. Complex's Trey Alston reported that OVO Sound announced the milestone on X, describing the total as a record for "most Diamond singles by any artist," counting both solo and featured credits.

Complex reported that "Views" is Drake's third album to be certified Diamond, after "Take Care" and "Scorpion." The album was released April 29, 2016, through Young Money, Cash Money and Republic Records and opened at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with 1.04 million album-equivalent units, including 852,000 in pure sales, according to Complex. The outlet reported that the album spent 13 non-consecutive weeks at No. 1 and that it was certified gold on June 9, 2016, and 9x platinum on Oct. 24, 2025.

The certifications follow a busy year of releases for the rapper. HotNewHipHop reported that "Iceman" arrived alongside two companion albums, "Habibti" and "Maid Of Honour," which debuted in the top three spots of the Billboard 200, and that Drake later released "Habibti (FOMO)" with four new songs, including "Solar Eclipse," which debuted at No. 5 on the Hot 100.