Jay-Z Steps Out, Without Beyonce, for First Time Since Blue Ivy's Birth

Blue Ivy's daddy is ready to party!

On Wednesday, Jay-Z was the man of the night at the grand re-opening of his New York club, 40/40. In his first public appearance since wife Beyonce gave birth to daughter Blue Ivy on Jan. 7, the 42-year-old rapper (real name: Shawn Carter) was bum-rushed by reporters, photographers and well-wishers on the red carpet.

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"Hi everybody!" the "Glory" rapper said amidst the melee. When the crowd congratulated him on Blue Ivy's birth, he replied with a "thank you" and a huge smile. Still recuperating from delivering Blue at an "executive suite" at Lenox Hill Hospital, his wife of three years Beyonce, 30, skipped the night out.

Once inside the club, Jay-Z fielded a whole new crush of excited pals and fans wishing him well: Ashanti, Russell Simmons, Swizz Beatz, Selita Ebanks, even hard-partying billionaire Warren Buffett!

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After parking himself by the upstairs bar, the rapper celebrated with shots of Patron and flutes of Ace of Spades champagne; throughout the night, he pulled out his phone and happily showed photos, presumably of his brand-new baby girl, to friends, who gave him and hugs and high-fives.

"Jay was beaming the whole time," an observer says.

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Also at the bash, the hip-hop mogul's sister, Michelle, was overheard updating her own friends about her niece and sister-in-law. "Everyone is fine!"

No word yet on when Beyonce will make her first public appearance since becoming a mom.

After leaving 40/40 just past 1 a.m., the new dad continued the party at hotspot 1Oak in Manhattan's Meatpacking district. "He wasn't doing anything crazy," a source reports. "Just chilling, laughing, and talking."

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