Cliff “BKLYN JONES” Jones, President of Inyani’s Artist Management Division, is a creative director who provides music video, film and television projects with an urban authenticity that encapsulates a wide span of generational styles from the Harlem Renaissance to hip hop street culture and everything in between.

Hip Hop Pioneer & Dancer

Jones is a true Hip Hop pioneer in his own right, making a mark in history as being the first of many hip hop backup dancers to evolve into a new age. Jones received his big break in the mid 80’s when he was placed as one half of the “first” Hip Hop dance duo backing up legendary rap group, Whodini, which set him on a path of globetrotting and touring with Hip Hop legends like Run DMC, LL Cool J, Beastie Boys, Public Enemy, Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, LL Cool J and Eric B & Rakim. Jones’ on-the-road dance schooling graduated him from to choreographer for several world renowned artists in Hip Hop, such as Heavy D & The Boys, Bell Biv Devoe, De La Soul and New Edition, just to name a few.

Fashion & Branding

Jones’ time on the road lead to his second venture as custom designer, where he worked alongside Friday’s Mark Jordan (DJ Pooh) on all his music videos and television commercials. Jones also worked with Kerdis Tucker, president of After Math Records, designing the CD covers and music videos for super producer, Dr. Dre. In 2001, Jones segued into marketing & product placement for motion pictures, working with a number of brands like Footlocker, DaDa footwear, and Asanti and Lexani wheels and more. Subsequently, both Asanti and Lexani brands became household names in the Hip Hop and Pop culture/ society due to the use of a precise demographic marketing campaign and product placement in music videos by hip hop titans Jay Z, 50 Cent and Ludacris.

Film & Television

Never one to stay stagnant, Jones eventually moved on to a new frontier. His product placement work in film and television led to an Executive Producer role for the SHOWTIME comedy special Mike Epps Sketch Comedy Show. In 2013, The Arsenio Hall reboot counted on Jones for his expertise and brought him on as a consultant, where he helped book an exciting line-up of hip hop originators & influencers and served as creative director for two special edition Arsenio episodes – one celebrating the legacy of Soul Train, and the other honoring his mentor Simmons and Def Jam as both a label and a movement. Jones served as a creative consultant producer for Centric Network’s Soul Train Awards, where he added an authentic flare to the award show’s throwback performances in 2013 and 2014.

Most recently, Jones contributed his cultural ideation to Hulu’s critically acclaimed adaptation of High Fidelity starring Zoe Kravitz and Da’Vine Joy Randolph, where Cliff served as the dialect coach and costuming advisor for Randolph’s character Cherise.