Gangsta rappers Delmar "Daz" Arnaud and Ricardo "Kurupt" Brown, better known as Tha Dogg Pound, are on the prowl again.

The Los Angeles duo, who broke into the music business working with their mentors Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dogg, have been holed up in a recording studio since May. Their highly anticipated debut, "Dogg Food," is scheduled to be released next month on Death Row Records, which is distributed by Interscope--half of which is owned by Time Warner.

The media giant has been at the center of the latest controversy over rap music since May when U.S. Senate Majority leader and presidential candidate Bob Dole (R-Kan.) and other critics launched a crusade to stop Time Warner from selling "violent and sexually degrading" rap music.

Pressure on the conglomerate is certain to escalate next month when Daz and Kurupt release their record, rife with potentially offensive lyrics, that is expected to enter the national pop chart at No. 1. Sources say Time Warner is so nervous about the album that the firm asked representatives for the rap duo to postpone its release.

Daz and Kurupt not only turned down the request, last week the headstrong rappers started filming a TV ad to tout the project. The 30-second spot--planned for broadcast during prime time early next month on the Fox TV network--is an uncommon practice in pop music promotion. The ad depicts a prison revolt in which the rap duo transform into pit bulls, attack a guard and drive off in a getaway car full of women.

"You know what I have to say to your boy Bob Dole and all those other fools who are running their mouths off?" said Daz, the 22-year-old cousin of Snoop Doggy Dogg, during a break from filming at a sound stage in Culver City. "I say, 'You handle your business, Bob, and we'll handle ours. Ain't no way you can stop us. Our record is on its way, and whether you like it or not, it's going to be huge.' "

Echoing his partner's defiant stance, Kurupt scoffed at the notion that Tha Dogg Pound should alter its music to pacify the corporation or its political foes.

"Our music is about as raw and uncut as it gets," said Kurupt, also 22, tugging at a bar on the cellblock set. "Anybody who got upset in the past over so-called gangsta rap is going to get real hot about the stuff we're about to put out. We believe in free speech, man, and we ain't holding nothing back."