Australia Reconsiders Unbanning Snoop Dogg

After initially lifting their ban of Snoop Dogg, Australia is reconsidering giving the Doggfather a visa as the threat of a looming Snoop/Ice Cube tour Down Under has resulted in public complaints. The drama started last year, when Snoop was denied an opportunity to co-host the MTV Australia VMAs because the island country refused to allow the rapper to apply for the visa. The ban was finally lifted last week by immigration officials, paving the way for Snoop to tour Australia in October, but because "of public concern and interest, the department has decided that in fact we will be undertaking a more thorough assessment of Mr. Broadus' character," an immigration official said. Although Snoop's tour may still go on, if he's allowed entry into the country he will be "counseled and given strict behavior rules to abide by." The Snoop saga strangely finds itself embroiled in a bigger government issue, as the conservative government that barred Snoop last year has since lost power to a more liberal government, which has since relaxed on the previous administration's tough immigration stance.

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Song Stories

“I'm Yours”

Jason Mraz | 2008

Jason Mraz re-emerged after his disappointing second album with this lead single, a Jack Johnson-esque ditty about giving yourself fully to someone else. The success of the reggae-tinged song (it earned two Grammy nods and a spot on the Billboard singles chart for well over a year) was something the folk-pop singer never predicted when he wrote it in 15 minutes at home. "I played a happy-hippie chord progression that would probably work without 50 different Bob Marley songs," he told Rolling Stone. "I thought, 'It's too novelty. This is a nursery rhyme,'" concluding that "you can never guess what's gonna be a hit."

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