While Nas has been brainstorming the idea of an official Illmatic 2 project, the legendary Q.U. rapper revealed official plans to re-release his Illmatic album for a 20th anniversary edition on April 15th. Fans will be able to choose from a digital 2CD set (in stores and on iTunes) or the 2CD and bonus 1LP vinyl through Amazon.
In addition to the Illmatic XX, Escobar will be heading on a tour this spring highlighted by the first ever televised full performance of his Illmatic album at this year’s Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival. Also, an official full-length documentary film detailing the creation process and legacy of his debut opus will be releasing later this year in the form of Time Is Illmatic.
Above, we have the first release from the project “It Ain’t Hard To Tell (Stink Mix)” serving as a sampler to Illmatic XX. Stay tuned for more news regarding the documentary and check after the jump for official details and tracklisting to the new project.
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“With Illmatic, I didn’t think about it. I just did it. 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.”
Tracklisting: Disc 1: Remastered original album
01. The Genesis
02. N.Y. State Of Mind
03. Life’s A Bitch
04. The World Is Yours
05. Halftime
06. Memory Lane (Sittin’ In Da Park)
07. One Love
08. One Time 4 Your Mind
09. Represent
10. It Ain’t Hard To Tell
Disc 2: Demos, Remixes & Live Radio
01. I’m A Villain (previously unreleased)
02. The Stretch Armstrong and Bobbito Show on WKCR October 28, 1993 (previously unreleased freestyle)
03. Halftime (Butcher Remix)
04. It Ain’t Hard To Tell (Remix)(promo single)
05. One Love (LG Main Mix)
06. Life’s A Bitch (Arsenal Mix)(promo single)
07. One Love (One L Main Mix)
08. The World Is Yours (Tip Mix)
09. It Ain’t Hard To Tell (The Stink Mix)(UK single)
10. It Ain’t Hard To Tell (The Laidback Remix)(UK single)
With the release of Illmatic, Nas quickly established himself as a hip hop icon and has become one of the hottest artists on the music scene today. The landmark album has been lauded by critics as one of the most exemplary hip hop recordings of all time. Illmatic contributed to the revival of the New York City rap scene and has been consistently ranked near the top of many “best album” lists. Today, the collection remains one of the most widely celebrated and influential albums in history with Rolling Stone proclaiming, “a portrait of an artist as a hood, loner, tortured soul, juvenile delinquent, and fledgling social critic… [the album] still stands as one of rap’s crowning achievements.” NPR Music called the collection “[a] masterwork of story-telling, lyricism and beat-making,” while upon the album’s release, The Village Voice gave Nas the title of, “one of the most important writers of the 20th century.”
Nas emerged from the Queensbridge neighborhood of Long Island City, a hotbed of rap artists since the ’80s. The son of jazz trumpeter Olu Dara, he has since gone on to sell over 20 million albums worldwide over the span of his legendary career, and has acted as an ambassador for hip-hop culture throughout the globe. Since the release of Illmatic, he has released 9 solo albums and 3 compilations all of which have been certified double-platinum, platinum and gold. His most recent release was 2012’s Life Is Good, which debuted at #1 on the Billboard Top 200, marking the sixth #1 album that Nas has produced in his career. The collection also received four GRAMMY nominations bringing the rap icon’s GRAMMY recognition count to 13 overall.