The concert is scheduled to be held at the Hrazdan Stadium in the Armenian capital on September 23.
Up to 25,000 people are expected to attend the event that is also hoped to bring more tourists to the South Caucasus country.
The first announcement of a possible Snoop Dogg concert in Yerevan was made by chief of the prime minister’s office Arayik Harutiunian in late July. A document appeared on the Internet shortly according to which more than $23 million would be allocated from the state budget for concert programs.
The kind of state funding sparked a public debate in Armenia, with many challenging the wisdom of such government spending.
The government stopped short of denying that some money would be allocated to a private company for a rapper’s concert in Yerevan, but insisted that it would not be anywhere near the claimed amount.
Observers note that concerts and visits to Armenia in recent years by such world stars and celebrities as American rapper 50 Cent, Armenian American musician Serj Tankian, Armenian American reality TV star Kim Kardashian and her former rapper souse Kanye West have helped raise the country’s international visibility and attract a greater number of tourists immediately as well as in the longer run.
Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr., a 51-year-old rapper and actor professionally known as Snoop Dogg, has sold 35 million albums worldwide since 1992, remaining one of the world’s most popular performers during the past three decades.