Drake’s dad and godfather handed him a custom Birkin bag with his mother’s face on it. That was the gift that stole night two of the rapper’s 40th birthday celebration in New York City, and it came with a guest list that included Popcaan, Bow Wow, Sexyy Red and plenty more.
The second night landed on Drake’s actual birthday, with the party moving to Lady Delilah. He spent it alongside his father Dennis Graham, Bow Wow, Sexyy Red, Loe Shimmy, Popcaan, Mack Maine and a crowd of friends.
The bag came from Dennis and Drake’s godfather Hal. It was decked out with OVO logos and symbols, plus the face of his mother, Sandra Graham, which turned a luxury flex into something a lot more personal.
For dancehall fans, Popcaan showing up is no surprise. The Jamaican star signed with Drake’s OVO Sound in 2019 and put out projects like “Fixtape” and “Great Is He” through the label, and the two linked up with PartyNextDoor on “Twist & Turn.”
Seeing the Unruly Boss at a family-level celebration says a lot about where he sits in Drake’s inner circle.
The night wasn’t just about partying, though. Drake took a moment to give Bow Wow and Lil Wayne their flowers, saying that without them, he wouldn’t be where he is in the music industry.
The Lil Wayne nod carries real history. Wayne brought Drake into Young Money in 2009, and Mack Maine, who was in the room, has been part of that camp from the start.
The Bow Wow shoutout is the one people may not have seen coming, and it’s a reminder of how much the early 2000s rap stars shaped the generation that followed them.
All of this followed a big opening night on Friday, October 23, at Casa Cipriani. The Backstreet Boys pulled up to perform and brought Drake onstage for their 1999 hit “I Want It That Way.”
That moment had its own backstory. Drake has said the song goes back to his bar mitzvah, when a girl he liked asked him to dance. Night one also saw him give away $1 million worth of prizes, along with some eye-popping gifts for himself.
Not everyone is cheering the big spending, though. Victoria Monét recently called Drake a “professional trick,” and he seemed to fire back with a subtle message: “Transactional exchanges with the expectation of intimacy are a different frequency.”
The celebrations also come as “Janice STFU” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, a run reported as breaking a Michael Jackson record.
So Drake is turning 40 with a chart-topper, a room full of collaborators and a few critics still watching every move.
With Popcaan in the building and the OVO family out in force, fans are already wondering if this birthday energy carries over into new music.
