bobbydrake33 Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 Nas has announced that his seminal debut album, Illmatic, will be released as a special 20th Anniversary Edition, titled Illmatic XX, on April 15th by SONY Legacy. This exclusive collection will feature several rare remixes, unreleased demos and freestyles to commemorate the anniversary. 2CD set and 1LP vinyl via http://www.amazon.com/Illmatic-XX-Nas/dp/B00I6B2J36/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1391554857&sr=8-1&keywords=nas+illmatic+xx+vinyl . Nas has also announced that he will be touring the U.S. and performing the groundbreaking Illmatic from front to back to celebrate the release. The tour will kick off with special performances this spring at both the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts as well as this year’s Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival. Further details surrounding the tour will be released in the coming weeks. “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.” - Nas 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) In conjunction with the release, Time Is Illmatic – a feature length documentary film that examines the album – will be released in 2014. The movie, from first-time filmmakers One9 (director/producer) and Erik Parker (writer/produer), delves into the making of Illmatic; the social conditions that created it; and the music legacy passed down from Nas’ Mississippi-born father and celebrated jazz musician, Olu Dara. Time Is Illmatic is supported by The Ford Foundations’ Just Films and Tribeca All Access. More information will be released on the film in the coming months. For more information go to www.TimeIsIllmatic.com. Dusted_By_Space and paynegretzky 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dusted_By_Space Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 Az's verse on life's a bitch is still my favorite rap verse of all time. paynegretzky, imaxcowboyx and eskimosnow27 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sabukweli Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 I can't see buying this again, but it is undoubtedly in my top 5 hip-hop albums of all time. I'm super stoked on that tour. I already had the pleasure of seeing a bunch of my other favorite albums front to back at Rock The Bells 2012 (L.A.), so knocking another one off the list would be incredible. That doc might be cool too. Now can we finally get that fucking Nas + Premo full-length already? I'm gonna be on fucking oxygen support by the time they get around to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paynegretzky Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 I can't see buying this again, but it is undoubtedly in my top 5 hip-hop albums of all time. I'm super stoked on that tour. I already had the pleasure of seeing a bunch of my other favorite albums front to back at Rock The Bells 2012 (L.A.), so knocking another one off the list would be incredible. That doc might be cool too. Now can we finally get that fucking Nas + Premo full-length already? I'm gonna be on fucking oxygen support by the time they get around to it. Same boat here. One of my favourite albums of all-time but I already have this on wax and I'll be content with the original 10 tracks. I went to Rock the Bells in 2010. I think Nas was the only hip-hop act missing that year, woulda been amazing to see him, so I think this tour is definitely something to be excited for and something worth trying to get to! Thanks for posting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ditc586 Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 Az's verse on life's a bitch is still my favorite rap verse of all time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJ Quik Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 Don't need more then one version of Illmatic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paranoidantroyd Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 If you loved Illmatic check out Elmatic. imaxcowboyx, apeman and booms528 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Family Friendly Rap God Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 I might grab this seeing as I don't have Illmatic on vinyl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaviorSelf Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 If you loved Illmatic check out Elmatic. This. Elzhi of Slum Village gave his own spin on nas's classic with live instruments providing the backdrops. So dope. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eight1echo Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 What's with the album art? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rogerthat Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 I CANT WAIT! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sabukweli Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 If you loved Illmatic check out Elmatic. Thirded. So fantastic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rapidfiretollbooth Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 What's with the album art? I literally was about to say... Am I the only one not digging the rework of the album artwork? Hands down one of my favorite hip hop albums of all time. Glad I have a repress with the original cover. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soundofsulfur Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 I picked up Illmatic last month, kind of wish I had waited for this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paranoidantroyd Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 I keep reading a lot of "one of the greatest". Don't front, this is the greatest hip hop album ever and one of the greatest albums of all time for any genre. Rapidfiretollbooth and agaetisbyrjun 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rapidfiretollbooth Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 I keep reading a lot of "one of the greatest". Don't front, this is the greatest hip hop album ever and one of the greatest albums of all time for any genre. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Number11 Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 This is my favourite hip hop album of all time.. So this is definitely one of the few records I don't mind buying multiple times. I have the original release, the 10th anniversary release, and I'll be adding the 20th, 30th, 40th, 50th etc anniversary releases to the collection Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blaine Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 This is my favourite hip hop album of all time.. So this is definitely one of the few records I don't mind buying multiple times. I have the original release, the 10th anniversary release, and I'll be adding the 20th, 30th, 40th, 50th etc anniversary releases to the collection Won't that be the day, when we see the 50th anniversary release of a seminal rap classic?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
filthyrich Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 Dear God that cover is TERRIBLE. The repress has been available forever. For a while you could grab it for $8. There's also a European repress that's slightly more expensive.... Not sure if there's any difference in SQ between the two. Both have the original orange-ish/brown cover, rather than the 10th anniversary B&W cover. Rapidfiretollbooth 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paranoidantroyd Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 Apparently some people don't understand the word "remastered". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlexH. Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 "Remastered" doesn't mean "better". This was just reissued last year by Get On Down, I don't know why you'd pay $30 for a new version when the only distinguishing feature is likely going to be that awful redesigned cover. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imaxcowboyx Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 If you loved Illmatic check out Elmatic. holy shit. i had never heard this. THANKS, this rules. Now i gotta track a copy of this down on wax Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sabukweli Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 I keep reading a lot of "one of the greatest". Don't front, this is the greatest hip hop album ever and one of the greatest albums of all time for any genre. That's just, like, your opinion, man. I'd put Moment Of Truth, Midnight Marauders, & Hard To Earn above it. Rapidfiretollbooth 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rapidfiretollbooth Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 That's just, like, your opinion, man. I'd put Moment Of Truth, Midnight Marauders, & Hard To Earn above it. My top 3 hip hop albums of all time... -Moment of Truth (This REALLLLLY needs to be repressed...) -Midnight Marauders -Illmatic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
filthyrich Posted February 7, 2014 Share Posted February 7, 2014 Apparently some people don't understand the word "remastered". Especially when it comes to vinyl, a "remastered vinyl reissue" in the 2000s rarely translates to "the best sound quality to date." Just ask the 45 RPM Metallica reissues (OOF). Just to put this in perspective: The recent 2XLP reissue of Temple Of The Dog from 1991 was a big improvement, mainly because they expanded the record to a double and gave the grooves more space. Conversely, the recent "XX remaster" of Rage Against The Machine from 1992 was a disaster, and you'd be much better off hunting down the original all-analog pressing (or the MOV reissue from the same master). So even when we're talking about a record from the early 90s, no one really knows if the remaster is gonna be an improvement or a huge disappointment. The difference between Illmatic and the records listed above, though, is that this record has been in print for a long time... and at MUCH cheaper prices than $30. So this newest version isn't filling any particular void in the marketplace (unlike the recent reissue of Ready To Die) because you can still get this... http://www.amazon.com/Illmatic-Vinyl-Nas/dp/B00004WX4X So basically, you're paying more than double for a puke-inducing cover and an uncertain remastering job. Rapidfiretollbooth 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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