Conceptual work can require the most investment in terms of time and attention. However, such projects can also turn out to be the most rewarding. That’s the case with The Cornel West Theory. Every track on their debut album, Second Rome adds to the overall story of Washington, D.C. as a dystopia. But it’s the music — which teeters between chill and vigorous — that make the story so compelling. The seven-piece speeds up and slows down depending on which of the four emcees is taking the lead. They bridge the gap between jazz and hip-hop (throwing in elements of every other funky and innovative sound). On an initial viewing at the Sockets Records Fifth Year Anniversary, they reminded us of Digable Planets — but although they draw from similar elements, The Cornel West Theory provides a more incendiary delivery.

We talked with emcee Rashad Dobbins and spoken word artist Yvonne Gilmore about the thematic elements of Second Rome, their feelings on social responsibility and the band’s namesake.