While several celebrities threw parties in celebration of Sunday's MTV Video Music Awards, Ludacris had another reason to celebrate this weekend his upcoming 30th birthday.

The Atlanta rapper held an hours-long birthday bash at the Rio hotel on Friday night, one of several star-studded celebrations that have overtaken the Las Vegas strip since Thursday.

Though it was a sit-down dinner, it hardly had a formal feel as music blasted throughout the night and video screens played some of his favorite movies, including "Scarface," "Friday" and his own Oscar-winning flick, "Crash."

Music legend Quincy Jones and actress Gabrielle Union were among those in giving the rapper birthday hugs; actress Tichina Arnold from "Everybody Hates Chris" gave Ludacris a special serenade of what she called the "black Happy Birthday" song, a more soulful twist on the original.

Continue reading to see more pics from the birthday celebration...

Labels: Chingy, Gabrielle Union, Ludacris, Quincy Jones, Tichina Arnold

Labels: Britney Spears, Jennifer Lopez, John Legend, Kimora Lee Simmons, Marc Anthony, Naomi Campbell, Nick Cannon, Quincy Jones, Rev Run, Russell Simmons, Will.I.Am