1 / 20

Still the Illest - From Illmatic to Stillmatic to his eleventh studio album, Life Is Good, Nas has been one of hip hop's singular greats, revered for his ability to bring history and depth to his lyrical storytelling for two decades now. Tuesday (April 14), Esco returns with Illmatic XX, a celebration of his 20 years in the game, a feat few have achieved. Read on for a retrospective of how the MC's legendary life became such a legacy.(Photo: David Tonge/Getty Images)

2 / 20

Life Is Good - Nas was born Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones in Brooklyn on September 14, 1973, but was raised in the notorious Queensbridge housing projects in Long Island City, Queens.(Photo: Al Pereira/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

3 / 20

Not Far from the Tree - Nas' father, Olu Dara, is a renowned jazz and blues trumpeter who's played with Art Blakely, Cassandra Wilson and more. They've collaborated several times on wax, most notably on Nas' 1994 classic "Life's a B---h." (Photo: Frank Micelotta/Getty Images)

4 / 20

School's in Session - Nas was discovered by Main Source frontman Large Professor, who recruited him to rhyme on the classic 1991 posse cut "Live at the Barbeque." Nas' line "When I was 12, I went to hell for snuffin' Jesus," no doubt one of the illest of all time, had hip-hop abuzz about the then 18-year-old rhyme prodigy from Queens. (Photos: Adrian Sidney/PictureGroup; Al Pereira/WireImage/Getty Images)

5 / 20

Escobar Season - Nas followed another shocking sacrilegous threat on MC Serch's "Back to the Grill Again" ("I'm wavin' automatic guns at nuns") with his incredible debut single "Halftime" from the soundtrack to the 1992 film Zebrahead. After two guests verses and one song, some were already calling him the "Second Coming of Rakim."(Photo: Courtesy Columbia Records)

6 / 20

N.Y. State of Mind - After having his demo rejected by Russell Simmons and Def Jam, Nas signed to Sony and delivered his 1994 opus Illmatic, one of the best hip hop albums of all time, and one of the best debuts of any genre. Backed by a production dream team that included DJ Premier, Large Professor, Q-Tip and Pete Rock, the album is practically flawless, featuring unforgettable anthems such as "The World Is Yours," "One Love," "N.Y. State of Mind" and "It Ain't Hard to Tell." (Photo: Courtesy Columbia Records) 

7 / 20

Imagine That - Nas followed up with 1996's It Was Written, which debuted at No. 1 on Billboard. Though the album's crossover aspirations and pink-suited Mafioso imagery were bound to disappoint fans who wanted another Illmatic, it's aged well, with bangers including "If I Ruled the World" featuring Lauryn Hill, "I Gave You Power" and "Street Dreams" (shown above).(Photo: Courtesy Columbia Records)

8 / 20

Beast in the Belly - Nas made his Hollywood debut as the star and co-writer of Hype Williams' 1998 Belly. The film became a cult classic, both because and in spite of Esco's awkward acting ("We going to Africa!"). (Photo: Courtesy Big Dog Films)

9 / 20

Go Ahead and Hate... - After The Firm, his supergroup with Dr. Dre, Foxy Brown, AZ and Nature, underwhelmed, Nas struck back at purists who lamented his mainstream dreams with "Hate Me Now," featuring Puff Daddy (oh the irony). The fiery song and its controversial video helped his 1999 album I Am... hit double-platinum.(Photo: Courtesy Sony BMG Music)

10 / 20

Life We Chose - After years of veiled insults on record and in the press, a heated beef between Jay Z and Nas erupted in 2001 when Hov dropped the classic diss track "Takeover," calling Nas a "fake thug" and saying he had fallen off. (Nas' fourth album, Nastradamus, had been panned by critics and fans alike.) (Photos: WENN.com; Dimitrios Kambouris/WireImage/Getty Images)

11 / 20

One Time For Your Mind - Nas responded with the scathing "Ether" later that year. The song so effectively tore into a seemingly unflappable Jay Z that "ether" has become a slang verb of its own. The song—and the battle—reenergized Nas on his acclaimed, double-platinum fifth album, Stillmatic, which, as the title suggests, found Esco returning to his street aesthetic of his classic debut. Jay replied with the ultra-personal "Supa Ugly," which revealed that he'd had a relationship with Nas' baby's mother, but it fell flat, and Hov quickly apologized. Nas was widely declared the unlikely victor in this clash of the titans.(Photo: Courtesy Columbia Records)

12 / 20

Mastermind - Nas kept it grimy with "Made You Look," the anthemic lead single to his acclaimed, platinum-selling 2002 album God's Son. After Esco's triple-beam dreams of the late 90s, Nasty Nas had returned to his analog, QB comfort zone for good. (Photo: Courtesy Columbia Records)

13 / 20

One Love - Nas surprised everyone by announcing his reconciliation with Jay Z in the most public way possible: onstage at a massively promoted concert in 2005. Jay called out Nas midset and the two performed "Black Republican" (from Nas' then unreleased Hip-Hop Is Dead album) to an ecstatic crowd. The two later made their new alliance even more official when Hov, who was then president of Def Jam, signed Nas to the iconic label.(Photo: Scott Gries/Getty Images) 

14 / 20

Play on Playa - When Hip Hop Is Dead did drop in 2006, Nas ruffled the feathers in many caps. Most heated: a slew of Southern rappers who claimed the title was aimed at them, with Young Jeezy, Big Boi, Ludacris and Trick Daddy, among those who criticized the QB Kid.(Photo: Courtesy Def Jam Records)

15 / 20

Life Still Good - Nas married soul songstress Kelis in 2005, and even famously tattooed her image across his forearm. The pair had a bitter divorce four years later, and Kelis gave birth to their son, Knight, just four months after it was finalized. The spit became tabloid fodder, especially after a judge awarded Kelis $51,000 a month in alimony and child-support payments. (Photo: Vince Bucci/Getty Images)

16 / 20

[Untitled] - Nas courted controversy yet again when he tried to name his ninth studio album N---er. After a media firestorm, Nas left the album untitled instead. Despite the criticism—or perhaps because of it—the album was Nas' fourth to debut at No. 1 on the charts when it dropped in 2008.(Photo: Courtesy Def Jam Records)

Photo By Photo: Def Jam Records

17 / 20

Reach Out - After a four-year hiatus, Nas began releasing singles from his tenth album Life Is Good, including "Nasty," "Daughters" and "The Don." The barrage helped build anticipation for the new LP to a fever pitch.(Photo: John Ricard/BET)

18 / 20

The Don - Nas unveiled his masterpiece, Life Is Good in July 2012 with a bold cover photo (of him holding Kelis's wedding dress), and with gritty, moving production from greats like Salaam Remi, No ID, J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League, Buckwild and Swizz Beatz, and Esco's rhymes at their most introspective, many called this his best album in years. After two decades in the game, there's no doubt: Nas is as nasty as ever. (Photo: Def Jam)

19 / 20

Represent, Represent - Although he didn't appear on the Life Is Good tracklisting, DJ Premier is one of everyone's favorite Nas collaborators (yes, even you). With him dirty on the beats and with Nas' immacualte flow, the two have churned out jewel after jewel of pure hip hop goodness. In 2013, he confirmed that one of hip hop's longest-running rumors is true: a long-awaited, much-anticipated Nas album entirely helmed by him.(Photo : WENN.com)

20 / 20

It Ain't Hard to Tell - This year, in honor of The Don's 20-year anniversary of his debut, Illmatic XX is set to hit shelves and sites with the entire original tracklisting, plus special blends of every song and a new bonus track, "I'm a Villain." And he preceded the drop with his very own opening at the Tribeca Fim Festival for his new documentary, Time Is Illmatic. After two decades, there's no doubt: Nas is as nasty as ever.(Photo: Columbia Records, Sony Music)