Snoop Dogg joins eclectic bill at Glastonbury’s 40th

Only two years after shocking indie music purists by inviting a rapper - Jay-Z - to perform at Glastonbury, the world's most famous music festival has confirmed that hip-hop star Snoop Dogg will be part of its 40th anniversary line-up.
 
Snoop Dogg, who was famously banned from playing in Britain by immigration officials in 2006, will join confirmed headliners U2, Muse and Stevie Wonder at Glastonbury in late June.
 
In fact, the final line-up for the 40th Glastonbury is impressively diverse. Announcing the acts last night, festival founder Michael Eavis revealed that US country music star Willie Nelson and Afrobeat aficionados Vampire Weekend will play alongside Snoop Dogg on the Pyramid stage on the Friday night. Other new acts to be added include The Flaming Lips, Pet Shop Boys and Faithless.
 
British rapper Dizzee Rascal is also confirmed for Glastonbury. However it is the addition of Snoop Dogg - the biggest rapper to play the festival after Jay-Z's controversial but ultimately acclaimed performance in 2008 – that will get music fans talking. But if Snoop Dogg's inclusion disgruntles any curmudgeonly indie fans it will hardly make a difference: Glastonbury is already sold out.
 
Glastonbury suffered a drop in ticket sales the year Jay-Z headlined, but his exultant appearance saw the rapper answer his critics. Since then Eavis had been keen to get another urban artist of similar standing to play. He said last night: "Jay-Z worked so well, when we heard it was a possibility that Snoop Dogg could do it we went to work."
 
The travel ban on Snoop Dogg - real name Cordozar Calvin Broadus Jr - was lifted in 2008, although the 38-year-old hip-hop star has had a  long-running battle with the UK Border Agency who challenged the decision. In February he finally won the right to apply for a visa to enter the UK.
 
Last night Eavis was dismissive about concerns that the rapper's chequered history could impact on Glastonbury. "We never pass judgment on the people who play here; we hire them for their musical ability," he told the Guardian. "We are only interested in their music and what they will bring to the festival. We never compromise on that." ·