'Illmatic' Turns 20: Nas Dropping 2-Disc Edition & Performing Full LP on Tour
If any rap album deserves two separate reissues in the span of two years, it’s Nas’ Illmatic. The Queens legend announced today that he will release Illmatic XX on April 15, 20 years and four days to the album’s original release date. This version of the album, which is currently for pre-order on iTunes, follows a massive reissue box set that came out in December 2012.
Illmatic XX is a double-disc package that features a remastered version of the album and a number of alternate mixes and unreleased tracks, including "It Ain't Hard to Tell (Stink Mix)," which can be streamed over at Rap Genius. Later this year, Nas will release a full-length documentary called Time is Illmatic that explores the genesis of the album, from its nuts-and-bolts creation to its roots in the legacy of Nas’ father, the jazz musician Olu Dara.
Nas will also perform the album in its entirety on a special tour. The full slate of dates has yet to be announced but he will play Illmatic at a special show at the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. as well as at Coachella and BUKU Music + Art Project in New Orleans.
Disc 1: Remastered Original Album
1. The Genesis
2. N.Y. State of Mind
3. Life’s a Bitch (Feat. AZ)
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 (Q-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)
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