Music is used to sell products and experiences all of the time, but how often it used to sell a construction company to a potential workforce? St. Louis based construction company, The UP Companies (UPCO), has done just that with a recently released parody of the hit song “Old Town Road.”
Before we get into it, you might be surprised to find out that this isn’t the first construction-related rap song to hit YouTube’s airwaves. A few years ago, CAT released a pretty catchy rap theme for their D6N dozer called “Dozer Pride,” featuring a very unlikely hype man and a very capable front man. A couple years later, a New Zealand construction worker dropped some sick rhymes about jobsite safety at a toolbox talk. Both are worth giving a view.
Flash forward to 2019 when the world was overcome by “Old Town Road” madness and UPCO found the inspiration for their own construction music video. With the specific hope of making their company more appealing to the younger generations, whose labor is sorely needed throughout the entire industry, UPCO decided to go all in and enlist the help of internationally known hip hop artist, Chingy, who you may remember from his chart-topping hits like Right Thurr, One Call Away, and Holidae Inn.
UPCO is an MBE-certified contracting company that consists of three divisions: Power UP Electrical Contractors, Square UP Builders, and Hustle UP Laborers. Michael B Kennedy Jr, President of UPCO, said in a company blog post that the goal of the project was “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.”
The parody song “Old Construction Road” not only features Chingy, but Kennedy Jr himself, as well as UPCO employee Cornelius Blanks. The video already has over 13,000 views on YouTube, so I’d say the project has already been a strong success.
You can check the song out below and, for more information about UPCO, visit their website here.
Shane is the creator of Construction Junkie and an active construction project manager. In his career, he has managed interior remodel projects, site development, construction safety, governmental project compliance, and facility maintenance. He has a strong passion for construction technology and safety, as well as sharing the knowledge or insights he has gained throughout his career.