Howard “Chingy” Bailey Jr. is better known for boasting about being a baller – a highly successful, bejeweled dude rolling slowly through the neighborhood in a Bentley – than extolling the virtues of hard work in the construction trades. But apparently an old baller can learn new – really, really new – tricks.
It began in August while Michael B. Kennedy Jr. – something of a baller in the construction trades – got “Old Town Road” by Lil Nas X stuck in his head. While airborne (rolling by commercial airliner rather than a Bentley with 26-inch rims), Kennedy became transformed from construction mogul to rap writer. He wrote his own bars to “Old Town Road” relating to the construction trades and his business The UP Companies rather than wearing a “cowboy hat from Gucci” (one of Lil Nas X’s more intelligible lyrical concerns).
Kennedy found he had written a parody song about workforce shortages in the building trades called “Old Construction Road.” Who was he going to call? Who else but Chingy?
Kennedy’s old friend from the Lou is an international recording artist with 50 million records sold worldwide who is currently on the “Millenium Tour” with plans to release a new album in March. Chingy organized the recording session for “Old Construction Road” and performed a key verse for his homie. The construction mogul himself sings several verses, while the hook and chorus are sung by Cornelius Blanks, an employee of Square UP, one of The UP Companies. A music video featuring the three men and other UPCO employees was produced through St. Louis-based video production company Unbridled Media and released on December 20.
“We wanted to do a unique project that establishes The UP Companies as an industry leader who is not afraid to have fun and take risks to get the job done,” Kennedy said in a release. “We also wanted to create awareness among potential employees, particularly minorities, that we are the premier destination for careers and to motivate them to consider working for us.”
Workforce shortages remain one of the single most significant threats to the construction industry today. A significant part of the problem is the lack of interest from younger generations, such as Millennials and Gen Z, to work in construction despite the surplus of well-paying positions and low-cost or free education and training, Kennedy said.
In many high schools and colleges around the U.S., four-year degrees and white-collar jobs are emphasized over skilled labor training, with certain vocational programs being cut altogether. A staggering 80 percent of U.S. construction firms are having trouble hiring talent, according to Kennedy, and the trend is predicted to worsen.
Leonard Toenjes, president of Associated General Contractors of Missouri (AGCMO), said his organization “has staff and volunteers working with high schools, career and technical education schools, community-based organizations, workforce boards, career days and project owners to get out the word.”
AGCMO recently created a website, Build Your Future – Build Missouri at https://missouri.byf.org, that provides specific entry information for construction careers, plus the organization has a scholarship program to help those who need financial support to be successful in construction.
The UP Companies one of the region’s largest full-service Minority Business Enterprise-certified contracting companies. It consists of Power UP Electrical Contractors, Square UP Builders and Hustle UP Laborers. These three distinct business units have each felt the effects of workforce shortages on their projects, Kennedy said.
As for Chingy, he appears to realize that not everyone can hustle their way into a Bentley with 26-inch rims just by rapping some singsongy bars with gold chains around the neck.
“I got involved with the project to bring awareness to the opportunity that the construction industry is providing for everyday people who are looking for work,” Chingy said in a statement. “UPCO is providing job opportunities to folks in need who want to work and better themselves.”
Moving towards more conventional workforce development strategies than parody rap songs and videos, The UP Companies is planning a job fair for March at its offices at 2060 Craigshire (not Old Town nor Old Construction) Road in Maryland Heights. Representatives from each of the UPCO service lines, Associated General Contractors of Missouri (AGCMO) and various local labor unions will be available to discuss opportunities with interested jobseekers. Applicants will also get the chance to meet Chingy.
The “Old Construction Road” video is featured on YouTube and at theUPcompanies.com/old-construction-road/.
For more information about a career in construction, visit The UP Companies at www.theupcompanies.com or call 314-865-3888.
Or contact AGCMO at www.agcmo.org; Build Your Future – Build Missouri at https://missouri.byf.org; St. Louis – Kansas City Carpenters Regional Council at www.carpdc.org; Associated Electrical Contractors Local Union 57 – St. Louis at https://www.carpdc.org/Training/Schools/AECLU57JAP; Painters District Council 58 at http://www.dc58iupat.net/; and Laborers Local 42 at https://www.liuna42stl.com/.
