Nas: My Life in 20 Songs

"It's like I gave myself a 40th birthday present 20 years ago."

Nas has been in a reflective mood of late, performing an extended victory lap to commemorate the 20th anniversary of his landmark debut album Illmatic. The Queens rapper is hardly one to exploit nostalgia—2012's candid, stunning Life Is Good mainly eschewed reminiscence for a snapshot of the rapper's life as he neared 40—but with most MCs' shelf lives measured in months, two decades is a feat worth celebrating.

"It gives me a reference piece to look at myself and for me to analyze my life and what I've come from; my accomplishments; my dreams," Nas tells Rolling Stone about his acclaimed debut. Today, the rapper releases Illmatic XX, featuring a remastered version of the album alongside an extra disc of rarities, demos, remixes and live performances. A tour is in the works where he'll perform the album front-to-back, and the upcoming feature-length documentary Time Is Illmatic, detailing the album's history and legacy, will open the Tribeca Film Festival. The rapper is also working on the pilot for Street Dreams, his upcoming autobiographical drama for Xbox.

Nas is also channeling this reflective period for a planned new album, which he's started recording and hopes to release by the end of the year. "I have not been inspired to record until riding this Illmatic parade," he says. "I didn’t know that this would inspire me, but this time has made me reflect and made me aware of where I am today. I think I could have put together a good new album without this 20-year anniversary, but I don’t think it would have nowhere near the depth that I think it’s going to have now."

But before any new material is heard, Nas walked us through his thought process and state of mind behind 20 of his most introspective songs. Some are classics. Some never got their due. But all show a "graphic classic song composer" laying bare insecurities, victories, fears and triumphs.

by Jason Newman