Backstage Pass

Not only does Chamillionaire’s new single “Hip Hop Police” (Universal) show that hot beats can sound even better when accompanied by hot rhymes, but the song’s video may be the best of the year. In the first half of the spot, directed by Marc Klasfeld, Chamillionaire uses the format of a police drama to poke at the idea of blaming hip-hop for violence and crime that existed long before it started and will continue long after the genre is retired in a museum somewhere. The second half, a video for “Evening News,” another track from the forthcoming “Ultimate Victory” album due on Sept. 18, takes on the media for its portrayal of rappers. (The crawl in the video includes some hilarious “news” – including Flavor Flav’s acceptance into Harvard and Lindsay Lohan’s candidacy for U.S. Senate in California, running on a platform that would “make it illegal to wear panties.” Also keep an eye out for a photoshopped Don Imus wearing a Public Enemy shirt.)

[Click on pic to watch video]