Jay Z closed out his show at the Los Angeles Staples Center Monday (Dec. 9) night with a tribute to Nelson Mandela. 

Two photos of Mandela were posted on large screens as the Brooklyn-born MC performed "Forever Young" to conclude the latest stop on the Magna Carta World Tour.  

Jay called Mandela a "great man" while audience members lit the darkened arena with cell phones. "He spent 27 years in prison [and] came out to be president," the 44-year-old told the crowd. "All dreams are possible."

Although Hov dedicated the same song to the memory of Trayvon Martin over the summer, Mandela's image was used as a metaphor to inspire the audience to follow their dreams. "Tonight I'm living my dream in front of ya'll," Jay said. "Anybody out there that got a dream, ya'll chase that motherf---a down as hard as you can!" 

He ended by encouraging fans to use the South African freedom fighter's death as a life lesson stating, "Let that great man's sleep stand as an example of what you can do." 

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(Photo: Lionel Urman / Splash News)