Rapper Lil Baby has taken a turn in his career and is now helping others see the “bigger picture” after launching a workforce development initiative that promises to provide 100 jobs for youth in his hometown of Atlanta.
The artist is partnering with restaurateur Lemont Bradley, he told shared with local station CBS46 this week. The initiative will offer a dual-pronged solution to the city’s unemployment and crime spikes in certain areas by targeting young people 21 and under. They hope to accomplish this goal through the staffing of Bradley’s three main businesses from his portfolio; his car wash and eatery spots called Auto Spa Bistro, Eco Car Spa, and the recently opened Clutch Restaurant.
The two, who have been friends for years, told the station: “We are looking to give out 100 jobs to teenagers and young adults in the metro Atlanta area. With the crime rate surrounding scams, robbery, and even murder being so high, we are looking to provide a positive outlet and revenue stream to those who are looking for an income.”
This effort by Lil Baby and Bradley, while the target is young people, is intended to provide opportunities to those who don’t want to be included in this statistic.
“We are so excited about this initiative,” says both Lil Baby and Bradley. “Of course, we are looking forward to helping boost the city’s economy but we are really focused on lowering the city’s crime rate.”
The initiative will also address unemployment.
While overall unemployment in Georgia is at 2.9 percent and Atlanta is at an unprecedented 3.1 percent low, data shows Black people double those numbers and are still overwhelmingly more underemployed than their white counterparts.
The Georgia Budget & Policy Institute says while the state is experiencing a “record low unemployment,” there was a “2-to-1 unemployment gap among Black and white workers returned in the first quarter of 2022,” particularly due to the pandemic.
“Compared to pre-pandemic Q4 2019, Black Georgians and white women have been more likely to experience economically scarring underemployment, meaning many have only found part-time work despite their desire for full-time employment,” the report said.
Black men, according to the report, had a “5.6 percent unemployment rate in Q4 2021, to 6.1 percent in Q1 2022,” despite there being an increase in them finding jobs.
The same dismal findings plague Black women.
“Unemployment among Black women declined from 6.5 percent in Q4 2021 to 6 percent in Q1 2022. However, as with Black men in Georgia, it remains higher than pre-pandemic Q4 2019, which was 4.9 percent,” it stated. “Among prime working-age Black women, those ages 25 to 54, labor force participation grew among those without children and those with young children ages 5 and younger, 76.3 to 79.9 percent and 72.5 to 74.6 percent, respectively.”
To apply for one of the jobs, candidates are encouraged to go to the businesses’ Instagram and DMing them for an official application and interview.
Launching lawn care business
Under the partnership, the Grammy-winning artist, whose real name is Dominique Armani Jones, and Bradley are opening businesses. They plan to first open a lawn care business to landscape the yards for residences in the Peachtree City and surrounding areas.
Clutch Restaurant in need at staff
Bradley’s Clutch opened during the second week of July and had already been using social media to staff up and work with local influencers and promoters to engage in popular themed night activations throughout the week.
Auto Spa Bistro and Eco Car Spa
For both the Auto Spa Bistro and Eco Car Spa, Bradley also tapped into the power of social media marketing to find employees. The new companies needed car washers, car tinters, and more.
What Lil Baby is bringing to the table
Lil Baby brings some corporate acumen and tangible marketing cache to the table.
The 27-year-old rapper, who is worth an estimated $5 million, makes the majority of his money through earning royalties from his catalog and from touring and making festival appearances and boasts over 30,000,000 monthly listeners on Spotify.
Many scoff at streaming numbers, not believing they translate into real dollars. However, according to bestsellingalbums.org, with only seven years under his belt as a professional rapper, he has sold over 7,500,000 albums, including 7,360,000 in the United States and 60,000 in the United Kingdom, with his personal best-selling album being “My Turn,” which is about to become quadruple platinum.
