Actor turned rapper, Tray Chaney (best known for his role as Malik “Poot” Carr on HBO’s The Wire), releases his latest video as an independent music artist.

“Attendance,” is a song written to inspire youth to take education seriously and to get up and go to school. The video was shot at Baltimore’s Maryland Academy of Technology & Health Science, and depicts Chaney speaking to students both “on their level” in street clothes in the classroom and dressed up behind the podium in the auditorium.

“I wanted to focus on getting young people– all ages, all grade levels– excited about going to school. Reports of the drop out rates really hurt my heart, and I felt I needed to step up in Hip-Hop and represent. [There are so many] negative vibes out here that our youth can get trapped in. I wanted to be a leader and show them they can be leaders [too,]” Chaney shared in an email.

Attendance is from Chaney’s third EP “The Curriculum,” released in 2013, and available on iTunes.

Keep Up with Tray Chaney:

MrTrayChaney.com

@TrayChaney on Twitter

@MrTrayChaney on Instagram

Check out the visuals and let me know what you think! Will you share #Attendance with the young ones in your life?