Drake made $250,000 performing at a private party after organisers turned down Kanye West's $1 million demand.

The 24-year-old rapper - who collected the huge fee for appearing at a New York bar mitzvah - was the second choice of entertainment for Jeff Zucker, former chief executive of Us broadcaster NBC, as he hosted the event at the city's Four Seasons Hotel for his son Andrew on Saturday (07.05.11).

According to the New York Post newspaper, 'Love Lockdown' hitmaker Kanye had demanded $1 million for a one-off performance.

While Mr. Zucker reportedly toyed with the idea of paying up to $800,000 for a set from Kanye, he eventually settled with Drake, who was considerably cheaper.

While he may have asked for a huge sum to perform at the Zuckers' party, it would appear Kanye is prepared to waive his costs on other occasions.

Earlier this year, the 33-year-old rapper performed a 30-minute set at the 16th birthday party of artist George Condo's daughter at New York's Standard Hotel free of charge.

Also, at the end of last year, Kanye gave an impromptu concert to the passengers of a flight from Minneapolis to New York, serenading them with renditions of his tracks 'The Good Life' and 'Gold Digger'.

A passenger on the flight described the experience, saying: "He was like, 'Yo, this your n***a, Kanye. He couldn't decide if he wanted to do 'The Good Life' or 'Gold Digger,' so he was like, 'I'll just do a little bit of both.' It was awesome - but I still have no idea how he got into the cockpit."