Hip Hop Dose Staff
Drake’s 40th-birthday weekend began with a career milestone. On Friday, October 23, the Recording Industry Association of America awarded him 30 new certifications, making him the first artist to surpass 350 million RIAA-certified units and the most certified artist of all time, according to Billboard. The awards arrived one day before his birthday and alongside two nights of parties that, through their performers and guests, traced several chapters of his musical life.
The new awards included Diamond certifications for Views, “In My Feelings” and “Marvin’s Room.” “God’s Plan” advanced to 2x Diamond, while Drake’s total reached 18 Diamond plaques. The most for any artist. Among other newly reported album certifications, More Life is 6x Platinum, Certified Lover Boy 5x Platinum, Scorpion 9x Platinum, So Far Gone 3x Platinum and Care Package Platinum.
The single certifications span different points in his catalog: “One Dance” is 15x Platinum, “Knife Talk” 8x, “Fair Trade” 5x, “Way 2 Sexy” 4x, “Girls Want Girls” 3x and “First Person Shooter” 2x.
A catalog milestone during birthday week
The latest awards also include a Platinum certification for Iceman, five months after its May 15 release. The 18-track album arrived alongside the surprise releases Habibti and Maid of Honour, with reported guest appearances from Future, Molly Santana and 21 Savage.
The certification places a recent release within a much larger body of work. It is also a useful distinction: RIAA certifications measure accumulated commercial history, not an artist’s current chart form. Iceman’s Platinum status is a notable release milestone, while the larger 350-million figure reflects a career built across roughly 25 years and the expansion of streaming.
Drake’s birthday celebrations began in Toronto. Reporting placed him at a dinner at the CN Tower on October 21, with Popcaan present, and at the Raptors’ home opener in bedazzled red cowboy boots. On October 22, he was seen at Mamo in Manhattan wearing a chestnut-brown fringed shawl.
Backstreet Boys and a toast about being alive
The first major party took place Friday at Casa Cipriani in New York; some accounts identified the venue as Cipriani 42nd Street. More than 400 guests reportedly attended. The guest list included Travis Scott, Jack Harlow, Sexyy Red, Alix Earle, Landon Barker, Loe Shimmy and Drake’s father, Dennis Graham.
The Backstreet Boys made a surprise appearance, performing “I Want It That Way” as Drake joined them onstage. The moment connected to an earlier Toronto appearance: in July 2022, the group brought Drake out during a show, where he recalled the song as part of a bar mitzvah memory involving a girl asking him to dance. At the birthday party, he reportedly wove “Hold On, We’re Going Home” into the performance.
The night’s emotional center came in Drake’s toast. “Tonight is not about a tour or an album release or a bunch of videos that we shot or a fragrance or a Nike shoe,” he told guests. “Tonight is just about being alive, staying alive.”
The celebrations also included a black tuxedo with a diamond “D” pin and a one-of-one diamond Rolex Cosmograph Daytona engraved “Freeze the World,” a lyric from “Make Them Know” on Iceman. Vogue and other coverage placed the watch’s reported value in the $3 million-to-$5 million range.
Party favors and cash prizes drew considerable attention, too. According to reports from Vogue, People and Page Six, guests received Chanel and Hermès handbags, and a Deal-or-No-Deal-style game offered prizes from $10,000 up to $1 million. A guest was reportedly awarded $500,000.
Popcaan’s U.S. debut and Bow Wow’s place in the story
A second celebration followed on Saturday, October 24, Drake’s actual birthday, at Lady Delilah in Chelsea, according to party coverage. Drake changed into a cheetah-print Chrome Hearts jacket and red leather trousers and performed. Popcaan also took the stage for what was reported as his debut U.S. performance.
Popcaan’s appearance carried added significance. The Jamaican artist, signed to OVO and the performer on two albums released through the label, secured his first U.S. visa on October 11 after years of difficulty. An attempted trip to Atlanta in 2017 had fallen through because of processing delays.
Bow Wow provided another link between the party and Drake’s early influences. He performed “Like You” and said Drake was the one person he would perform for at the last minute without questions. Onstage, Drake credited Bow Wow with inspiring him while he watched 106 & Park from his mother’s basement and learned about making songs and videos. “It wouldn’t be no Drake without [Bow Wow],” he said.
The gesture echoed previous acknowledgments: Drake thanked Bow Wow at a Houston dinner in 2021 and described him as someone he wanted to emulate while growing up during a 2023 Atlanta appearance. Hollywood Unlocked also reported that Drake gave Lil Wayne and Mack Maine their flowers during the birthday celebrations.
What the numbers, and the party, show
The weekend’s guests and performances sketched a path from childhood pop memories and early hip-hop inspirations to OVO collaborators and contemporary rap peers. The 350-million-unit milestone offered a different kind of map: one built from songs and albums released across changing formats and listening habits.
Party details, however, remain largely guest-reported through outlets including TMZ, People and Page Six. The reported $1 million top prize, the individual $500,000 win and handbag giveaways should be understood as attributed accounts, not independently confirmed figures. The RIAA milestone is separately reported by Billboard.
Together, the certifications and birthday spectacle marked two distinct things: a commercial record accumulated over time and a personal celebration organized around the people, music and memories that have accompanied Drake’s career.
