Darnell “Mr. H” Hospedales, 44, is a media and community associate with the city’s Parks and Recreation Department. He’s spent a lifetime working as a local rapper, hip -hop journalist, photographer, entrepreneur, and now mentor to students of all ages.
“A lot of people call me Mr. H,” said Hospedales, chuckling about his nickname. “It’s half Trinidadian, half Venezuelan. It’s cool and goes back to an ancient tribe. I love it — I do not have a slave name, but I am addressed here as Mr. H for the simple fact that I don’t like people chopping up my name.”
Born and raised in Brownsville, Brooklyn, Hospedales grew up in a small area of the neighborhood referred to as the “’90s.” Basically, it’s a collection of streets bracketed by Remsen Avenue, E. New York Avenue, Linden Boulevard, and E. 98th Street. He came of age at a time when rap and hip-hop were fledgling music genres birthed by Black and Brown people, and intricately immersed in the cultural grit that makes New York City both beloved and feared.
Hospedales got into the music industry very young, in the early 1990s, as a “crate boy” — someone who helped carry the crates of records from venue to venue for DJs. Independent record labels from his community, and artists like Helter Skelter and a young Jay-Z, served as an inspiration to him.
Like many, he wanted to be a rapper but considered himself shy. He pivoted to writing poetry as an outlet instead and started performing and hosting open mics at the Inkwell Jazz and Comedy Café, a local café owned by a family friend. “My love of words led me to doing hip-hop,” he said.
Hospedales dubbed himself with the rap name MC Loone Don aka Mr. Get Ryte.
His first foray into self-publishing his works was hosting his own show, Get Ryte TV, on Brooklyn’s Community Access Television (BCAT), now known as Brooklyn Free Speech TV. On his show, Hospedales interviewed other up-and-coming rap and hip-hop artists. Over the next decade or so, this opened the door for him to network with bigger labels, attend red carpet events, go on tour, write for publications, do film and photography, and even be considered for a Grammy nomination at the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards in 2011. He did this all while continuing to hustle and work other part-time jobs, he said.
In the early 2010s, Hospedales opted to take the entrepreneurial route and created his multi-media company, FOLK.US Entertainment LLC. After a year, his business experienced some economic instability and Hospedales wanted a solid job so he could support his family.
He started working for the city parks department in maintenance in 2016. Because of his skillset, it wasn’t long before he moved into the park’s media education department. He currently teaches young people, adults, and the elderly about computers and technology, podcasting, photography, film, and recording and producing music.
Hospedales created I.A.M.E (I Am Myself Everyday) Programming shortly after as a mutli-media platform to showcase his students’ content, as part of doing his best to foster and encourage raw talent in the community that helped make him who he is.
“I am more than what the system says I am,” said Hospedales. “They think they have to sound, look, or act like other people in order to make it, not realizing that the authenticity of people is what sells. It’s when you create a path for yourself — those are the people with longevity.”