By Roman Wolfe
Long Beach, California rapper Snoop Dogg has been approved to tour Australia, according to reports.
Australian Immigration officials questioned the rapper’s eligibility to enter the country due to his criminal past. Now, the rapper is continuing with plans to appear in the region.
He will kick off a tour of New Zealand and Australia with Ice Cube and Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, starting on October 27, when the rappers will appear at the TSB Bank Arena in Wellington.
From there, the tour will hit Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth.
Last week, Snoop, born Cordozar Calvin Broadus Jr, was approved for a Visa, but the tour was jeopardized when local organizations protested his appearance.
As a result, Immigration Department carried out a full character assessment of Snoop Dogg.
"As a result of public concern and interest, the department has decided that in fact we will be undertaking a more thorough assessment of Mr Broadus' character, however, the decision on the granting or refusal of a visa application is made on the individual merit of the case consistent with the legal criteria for the class of the visa," an Immigration Department official said last week.
The approval overturns an August of 2007 decision, which kept the rapper out of the country.
Snoop Dogg was supposed to co-host the MTV Australian Video Music Awards, but he was banned from entering Australia after he failed the character test.
Tour dates are listed below:
October 27, Wellington, TSB Arena
October 29, Brisbane, Entertainment Centre
October 31, Sydney, Acer Arena
November 2, Melbourne, Rod Laver Arena
November 5, Adelaide, Entertainment Centre
November 7, Perth, Burswood Dome