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Home · Love & Sex

The Real Brooklyn's Finest

The Real Brooklyn's Finest
By · Updated October 29, 2020
01
Empire State of Mind

We love the confident swagger on photographer/graphic designer Darren Laing. His NY fitted leaves no doubt as to where his heart belongs.

The Real Brooklyn’s Finest
02
8th Wonder

Um… wow. Model/personal trainer Paul Arthur didn’t come to us. We hunted him down after peeping his loveliness in ads for Nike and Jordan. Those abs? That V? Heaven, help us!

The Real Brooklyn’s Finest
03
Sexual Healing

Paul Arthur looks like he’s about to pass out. Um. honey, so are we! Like seriously, it should be illegal for one man to look this good.

The Real Brooklyn’s Finest
04
Whatta Man!

Michael “Mancini” McConnell was ESSENCE’s very first “Single Man of the Month” in June 2009. When we spotted him at a birthday party, we couldn’t keep our eyes off this sexy gentleman’s bright brown eyes and charming smile.

The Real Brooklyn’s Finest
05
Mr. Perfect

As the owner of marketing and brand management company Team Mancini Lifestyle Inc., McConnell is always on the move. Check him out at www.teammancini.com

The Real Brooklyn’s Finest
06
The Cool In You

It was love at first sight when we spotted Courtney Castro at Brooklyn’s annual MIH picnic in Prospect Park. The basketball hottie with a 45-inch vertical leap has played ball in Quebec, Taiwan and with the Globetrotter-esque Harlem Wizards.

The Real Brooklyn’s Finest
07
Beauty and the Beat

Producer Wes Mapes landed on our radar when we spotted him standing outside the Brooklyn Museum. This tall drink of water is as sweet as he is sexy.

The Real Brooklyn’s Finest
08
Love Hangover

We ran into this deep-dimpled cutie, Alejandro Clabiorne on a rooftop party in New York City’s best borough. Our first reaction? We could fall in his dimples and die. swoon

The Real Brooklyn’s Finest
09
Grown & Sexy

This Jamaican hottie, Travis Sylvester, made us do a double-take when were introduced to him at the Brooklyn Museum. He’s a marketing guru who owns The LifeStyle Architect Group and splits his time between Miami and his beloved Brooklyn home.

The Real Brooklyn’s Finest
10
Caramel Deluxe

We bumped into Brooklyn rapper Sha Stimuli at our favorite Flatbush bar. We offered a smile, he offered his latest CD, “My Soul to Keep”. He had us at hello, and after the first song’s hook we made him an iPod favorite. Follow him on Twitter at
twitter.com/shastimuli

The Real Brooklyn’s Finest
11
American Beauty

This gorgeous Haitian hunk popped onto our radar when we blocked his car in a couple summers ago. Bikens Pierre is as single as he is lovely. When he’s not investigating fraud for his day job, he can be found organizing charity drives to collect food and clothing for the people of Haiti.

The Real Brooklyn’s Finest
12
Dreaming Eyes

With his piercing gaze, plump lips, and perfectly smooth brown skin, Shadner Ifrene, was certain to catch our eye. The actor will make his big screen debut later this year in the independent film “Chess Boxing.”

The Real Brooklyn’s Finest
13
Higher Learning

That pretty smile and that pouty bottom lip first caught our attention in 2007 when Emiliano Styles was featured as an ESSENCE “Do Right Man.” These days the high school special education/literacy teacher is directing and producing a romantic mystery feature film, “Pour Aimer, Encore.”

The Real Brooklyn’s Finest
14
Brown Sugar

We stumbled upon this NY-born, Haitian lovely at a screening party for “Let’s Talk About Pep,” (no, he wasn’t on the show, but he should have been, right?). Turns out Eric Nicoleau is a model/actor personal fitness trainer… with washboard abs we’d like to do next week’s laundry on.

The Real Brooklyn’s Finest
15
Dark & Lovely

Need more Eric in your life? Yes, we do too. Check him out at EricNicoleau.com or follow this chiseled chocolate cutie at
twitter.com/EricNicoleau.

The Real Brooklyn’s Finest
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