Rappers always claim they"re taking it to the next level, but for a change, the Atlanta group P.A. (Parental Advisory) has actually delivered a record that forever raises the stakes for Southern hip-hop. Six years after their failed debut album, the trio reemerge with Straight No Chase, an impressive exhibition of sample-free hip-hop brewed into full-bodied funk. Richly textured tracks such as "Like We Do" and "China White" incorporate regional flavors--from Miami bass to Louisiana soldier--but transcend them all with live instruments, dynamic rhyming, and multilayered singing. Despite overtures to more pop-oriented styles, songs like "Dope Stories" (featuring Gip from Goodie Mob) prove P.A. can throw down with the best of their homeboys. Not since Dr. Dre unleashed his west coast G thang has streetwise hip-hop sounded so indulgently hook-heavy. All of which simply means that P.A."s arrival is long overdue. --Roni Sarig