What do Jay-Z and Biggie have in common with photographer Seth Kushner and writer Anthony LaSala?

A deep love and respect for Brooklyn, New York. While the former demonstrated their affinity in the form of a hardcore hip-hop track “Brooklyn’s Finest”, the latter pair trekked tirelessly across the borough, documenting its various colourful characters in The Brooklynites, an exhibition and a book of the same name that featuring a collection of images, interviews, and essays.

Native Brooklynites Kushner and LaSala sought out the famous like Spike Lee, Steve Buscemi, Rosie Perez, John Turturro and Matisyahu—as well as local heroes whose unique personalities exemplify the borough’s spirit. The Brooklynites features figures from nearly every neighbourhood including Brooklyn Heights, Brownsville, Bensonhurst, Bedford-Stuvesant, Fort Greene and beyond.

Providing images and musings from directors and workers at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Peter Luger’s Steakhouse, the Coney Island Aquarium, Brooklyn College, the Prospect Park Zoo, the Brooklyn Navy Yard, the Coney Island Freak Show, or the Brooklyn Museum, The Brooklynites also features a foreword written by Emmy-award-winning writer & Brooklynite Terrence Winter (The Sopranos, Get Rich or Die Tryin’),

Anthony LaSala is a senior editor at Photo District News Magazine and freelances for a host of other publications including Time Out NY, Billboard, Yankee Magazine, and TV Guide.

Seth Kushner is a freelance photographer and works for a large variety of clients including; The New York Times Magazine, Time, Newsweek, Vibe, YRB Magzine, and Business 2.0.

The exhibition runs from September 6th through the 30th at the PowerHouse Arena, 37 Main Street, Brooklyn, New York

Seth Kushner website

Powerhouse present the Brooklynites