On this day, Nov. 25, in hip-hop history...

2003: It was supposed to be his final performance — a triumphant retirement party for one of hip-hop's greatest rappers at the Word's Most Famous Arena in his hometown of New York City. As we all know, it didn't exactly end up that way as Jay Z's premature "retirement" lasted all of three years. Despite this, however, his "farewell" concert was still an event that would go down in hip-hop history forever.

Fifteen years ago to the day, Jay Z's "farewell" concert was held on Nov. 25, 2003 and it seemed that all of hip-hop showed up to pay homage to Hova. Artists that were closest to Jigga at the time, such as Mary J. Blige, Beanie Sigel, Ghostface Killah, Foxy Brown, Memphis Bleek, Missy Elliott and Jay Z's wife-to-be, Beyoncé, all hit the stage to perform songs that they had collaborated on with him. The evening's events were immortalized in the film Fade To Black, a mix of the concert footage and a retrospective of Hov's career up until that point, that would be released into theaters by the next year.

Now, more than fifteen years after what was originally supposed to be the end of Jay Z's career as a performer and studio artist, it's no secret that the legendary MC has not only continued to rack up accolades with notable projects both as a solo act and as a collaborator, but has become one of the most influential figures in the world.

While Shawn Carter certainly doesn't seem to be retiring again any time soon, and thankfully so, his "farewell" concert at Madison Square Garden will never be forgotten as a monumental night in Hip-Hop history.

See Photos of Jay-Z's Different Looks Over the Years

More From XXL