2014 marks the 20th anniversary of Nas' debut album Illmatic and the hip-hop world is understandably excited about it. Many a record has been proposed as the best in the genre's history, but Illmatic is one of the few that never falls out of the discussion. The emcee announced this week that he'll mark the occasion on April 15 with the special edition release Illmatic XX, a deluxe version of the original album.
The re-release will feature two discs: The first will be the original ten tracks from the second album, and disco two will feature a series of remixes and new material. The remixes focus on the singles, with three separate versions of "It Ain't Hard to Tell," but fans can look forward to two "previously unreleased" tracks. One, "I'm A Villain," comes from Nas' pre-Illmatic career, and is featured on various demo tapes, but still a rarity. A more interesting addition to the new collection is a freestyle Nas performed during a 1993 interview with Stretch Armstrong and Bobbito on WKCR in New York.
Plans for celebrating the album don't stop with the re-release however. Filmmakers Erik Park and One9 are releasing a documentary titled Time Is Illmatic, which will focus on the making of the album. The rapper will also be embarking on a cross-country tour where he'll be performing the album all the way through. A full schedule for the tour hasn't been announced yet, but it's known that it'll kick off in Washington D.C. and make its way toward Coachella.
