Drake Turns 40 With a Message to His Younger Self

Drake turned 40 on October 24. He skipped the big announcement and posted a few pages from the family photo album instead. The night before his birthday, he shared old Instagram pictures of himself as a kid: sitting on the hood of a car holding a children's book, grinning in a red life jacket, his father Dennis Graham in the frame. His caption was a short note to his younger self: "I accept you for you." From a man who's spent most of two decades at the top and under a microscope, that line carries weight.

The party was a different mood. Hundreds of friends filled Casa Cipriani in New York on Friday night, and the Backstreet Boys came out for a surprise set. Drake was 13 when "I Want It That Way" came out, and he sang every word like it was his own record. Howie even slipped a line from "Hold On, We're Going Home" into the bridge. Before the night was over, Drake told the room it wasn't about a tour or an album. It was about being alive and staying that way.

That's a grown way to step into 40: make peace with who you were and celebrate who you are. If you're turning a page this season too, we've got the soundtrack. Listen live at redcuprnb.com.