Good day! Great question. Howard Houses is a NYCHA development located in the Brownsville section of Brooklyn. 13It has ten buildings, 7 and 13 stories tall, with 813 apartments, and was completed on December 30, 1955. The complex covers 15.26 acres and is bordered by Mother Gaston Boulevard, East New York, Pitkin, and Rockaway Avenues.

Unfortunately, documented information specifically tying famous individuals to Howard Houses is quite limited. However, here is what I was able to find:

Masta Ace (Duval Clear)

🎤 Career: Hip-Hop / Rap

19 Masta Ace is a rapper who comes from the Howard Houses. He is one of the most respected underground hip-hop artists in New York City history. Masta Ace first gained prominence as a member of the **Juice Crew**, the legendary hip-hop collective led by DJ Mr. Magic and Marley Marl in the late 1980s. He went on to release critically acclaimed solo albums, including *SlaughtaHouse*, *Sittin’ on Chrome*, *Disposable Arts*, and *A Long Hot Summer*. He is widely regarded as a pioneer of storytelling and concept albums in hip-hop.

A Note on Brownsville at Large

While Howard Houses specifically has limited publicly documented celebrity alumni beyond Masta Ace, the broader Brownsville neighborhood — where Howard Houses is located — has produced an impressive number of notable figures, including:

• Mike Tyson – legendary heavyweight boxing champion
• Al Sharpton – civil rights activist and minister
• 24 **Eric Adams** – current Mayor of New York City; **Bernadette Stanis** – actress who played Thelma Evans on the 1970s CBS sitcom *Good Times*; **M.O.P.** (Billy Danze and Lil’ Fame) – acclaimed rap duo; and **Ahmed Abdul-Malik** – jazz bassist.
• 12 **World B. Free** (born Lloyd Bernard Free) – former NBA player, and the **Three Stooges** members **Moe, Curly, and Shemp Howard**, who were brothers from Brownsville.

However, these individuals are associated with the wider Brownsville area and other specific developments (such as the Tilden Houses, Van Dyke Houses, etc.), and I could not confirm they lived at Howard Houses specifically.

If you have any personal or community knowledge about other notable Howard Houses alumni, I’d love to hear about them! The development has a rich community history, and many success stories from NYCHA housing go undocumented in mainstream media.

Masta Ace (born Duval Clear in 1966) is the most prominent notable figure from Howard Houses in Brownsville, Brooklyn.1

He grew up in the development (specifically mentioning living on the 7th floor and at addresses like 260 Stone Ave.) and has spoken about his experiences there in interviews and social media.2

He is a highly respected hip-hop rapper, lyricist, and producer who rose to fame in the late 1980s as a member of the legendary Juice Crew (associated with Marley Marl). His career highlights include solo albums like Take a Look Around (1990), SlaughtaHouse (1993), A Long Hot Summer (2004), and The Oracles (with Marco Polo). He is known for clever wordplay, storytelling, and conscious themes, maintaining a strong underground following and longevity in the game into the 2020s. He has also ventured into theater with hip-hop musical projects.3

Dwayne “Pearl” Washington (1964–2016) is another notable figure strongly associated with Howard Houses. He earned his famous nickname “Pearl” (a nod to Knicks great Earl “The Pearl” Monroe) as an eight-year-old playing on the project’s playgrounds/courts in Brownsville.4

He is remembered as one of New York City’s all-time great streetball and high school point guards. A product of Boys and Girls High School in Brooklyn, he went on to star at Syracuse University (where he was a standout and helped popularize the program nationally with his flashy style) before playing in the NBA for the New Jersey Nets and Miami Heat. His playground legend status in Brownsville and highlight-reel skills made him an icon in NYC basketball lore.5

Howard Houses (a NYCHA development in Brownsville, Brooklyn) does not appear to have produced as many globally famous residents as larger or more notorious projects like Marcy Houses (Jay-Z) or Queensbridge (Nas). Searches for other major celebrities, actors, athletes, or politicians specifically tied to living there turn up few additional widely known names. Brownsville as a whole has produced other hip-hop artists (e.g., Buckshot of Boot Camp Clik, Agallah), but they are generally linked to the broader neighborhood rather than Howard Houses specifically.6

Masta Ace remains the clearest example of a resident who achieved notable success in entertainment directly tied to growing up in the development. Pearl Washington represents the talent that emerged from its recreational spaces and community. If you’re looking for more local or lesser-known figures, community groups or oral histories from Brownsville residents often share stories of educators, activists, or local athletes from the Houses.