April 19, 1994, marks the 20-year anniversary of Nas' critically-acclaimed Illmatic debut. To celebrate the milestone, the Queensbridge MC will release the 20th anniversary edition, Illmatic XX, due out April 15 via Sony Legacy. 

The double-disc LP features special remixes as well as unreleased demos and Nas freestyles. "With Illmatic, I didn't think about it. I just did it," the 40-year-old father of two said in a statement. "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."

Illmatic XX will lead the release of the documentary Time Is Illmatic, debuting sometime this year. The film comes courtesy of freshman-filmmakers One 9 (director and producer) and Erik Parker (writer and producer), and analyzes the construction and impact of the groundbreaking hip hop release.

Aside from an Illmatic anniversary LP and documentary, Nas will head out on a national tour performing the album in its entirety. The jaunt launches with a stop at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts next month, and the Coachella Valley Music Festival. 

Listeners can get an early taste of Illmatic XX on RapGenius.com, which is streaming the "It Ain't Hard to Tell [Stink Mix]" featured on disc two. The album is also available for pre-order on iTunes.

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(Photo: Frazer Harrison/WireImage)