Nas Celebrates 20th Anniversary of 'Illmatic' with Album, Tour, & Documentary

Twenty years after releasing his seminal debut Illmatic, Nas will commemorate the milestone with a 20th anniversary album, tour, and documentary.

The 2-CD set, entitled Illmatic XX, will arrive April 15 via SONY Legacy featuring rare remixes, unreleased demos, and freestyles.

To celebrate the release, Nas has also announced that he will tour the U.S., performing Illmatic from front to back. The tour will kick off this spring at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival in April.

“With Illmatic, I didn’t think about it. I just did it,” said Nas. “I believe everybody has good instincts. Now I’m a man from that past and I’m supremely grateful. There’s a Nigerian proverb ‘What is past is prologue.’ I’m here today because of Illmatic.”

A feature-length documentary called Time Is Illmatic will also be released in 2014. The film documents the making of Illmatic, the social conditions that created it, and the music legacy passed down from Nas’ father, jazz musician Olu Dara.

Illmatic XX Tracklisting

Disc 1: Remastered Original Album

1. “The Genesis”
2. “N.Y. State of Mind”
3. “Life’s a Bitch”
4. “The World Is Yours”
5. “Halftime”
6. “Memory Lane (Sittin’ In Da Park)”
7. “One Love”
8. “One Time 4 Your Mind”
9. “Represent”
10. “It Ain’t Hard to Tell”

Disc 2: Demos, Remixes & Live Radio

1. “I’m a Villain” (previously unreleased)
2. The Stretch Armstrong and Bobbito Show on WKCR October 28, 1993 (previously unreleased freestyle)
3. “Halftime (Butcher Remix)”
4. “It Ain’t Hard to Tell (Remix)” (promo single)
5. “One Love (LG Main Mix)”
6. “Life’s a Bitch (Arsenal Mix)” (promo single)
7. “One Love (One L Main Mix)”
8. “The World Is Yours (Tip Mix)”
9. “It Ain’t Hard to Tell (The Stink Mix)” (UK single)
10. “It Ain’t Hard to Tell (The Laidback Remix)” (UK single)