One lucky New York City kid just had the bar mitzvah party of his dreams and it cost his father a pretty penny! Matt Murstein, the son of New York taxicab medallion mogul Andrew Murstein, had his wish to have his favorite rapper perform a private show for 150 of his closest friends and family.
Andrew Murstein is the founder and president of the publically traded Medallion Financial Corp., which specializes in financing taxicab fleets. Murstein's net worth is estimated to be $600 million. The elder Murstein also co-owns Richard Petty Motorsports NASCAR team and the professional lacrosse team the New York Lizards.
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Matt is a big fan of Nicki Minaj and what Matt wants, Matt gets.
Minaj performed a seven-song set during the private show including the cleaned up version of "Super Bass." The rap-superstar also did a meet and greet with Matt and his guests. Sources said she took photos with nearly all of the 150 kids there.
Nicki also gave the kids some advice:
"Get an education. Stay in school. And don't be a slouch or a bum. And ladies, never let a man have to take care of you. Do you understand me? Be your own woman. Be your own person. Do you understand me?"
The Mursteins didn't divulge how much it cost to book Minaj, but Priceonomics places Minaj in the $200,000 to $300,000 range on their list of booking price estimates.
Nicki Minaj wasn't the only entertainment of the evening.
The theme of the night was basketball and staying in school.
Matt, at just 13 years old, is 6 feet tall and a star player for his Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) basketball team.
The video played at Matt's bar mitzvah was modeled after LeBron James' TV special "The Decision," and it was hosted by Bob Costas. In the video, Costas and Matt sat in armchairs in a gym. Costas asked Matt if he was going to go pro and enter the NBA draft or stay in school. As Matt contemplated his "decision" celebrities made appearances in the video. Patrick Ewing made an appearance to tell Matt that he and team owner Michael Jordan want him to play for the Charlotte Hornets. John Starks appeared and asked him to come play for the Knicks. At the end of the video, Matt decided to stay in school.
The pricey party, which had to run Papa Murstein nearly half a million dollars (especially if Nicki Minaj was $300,000, plus it is highly unlikely that Costas and Ewing appeared in that video for free), was held at The Pierre Hotel on Manhattan's Upper East Side. Besides 150 of Matt's closest teen friends, the guest list included athletes and celebrities alike, including Hank Aaron, New York Knick John Starks, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, former U.S. Senator and Governor Lowell Weicker, and Universal Records President Monte Lipman.
