(AllHipHop News) Troy Ave might be facing attempted murder charges, but that hasn’t stopped the rapper from offering up some inspiring words to a group of high school students earlier this week in New York.
Troy was a guest of professor Christopher Emdin at Teachers College at Columbia University and served as a motivational speaker to 20 high school students.
Troy, born Roland Collins, is still facing serious charges for his role in a deadly shooting during T.I.’s concert at Irving Plaza.
The May 2016 shooting left Troy’s bodyguard Ronald “Banga” McPhatter dead, and wounded three other people, including Troy.
According to The New York Daily News, Troy Ave was not shy about his current situation when speaking to the teenagers.
He even showed the students his ankle bracelet, which monitors his whereabout as he remains free on $500,000 bail. “This comes from choices, choices I had to make at the time,” Troy Ave told the students. “It was either fight for my life or fight for my freedom. Now I gotta fight to clear my name.”
Professor Edmin said that Troy represented a powerful story of redemption to his students, some who are at risk, and have already been suspended, or kicked out of school altogether.
“It’s always more powerful to show a story of redemption than the story of a hero,” Emdin told The New York Daily News.