(Cover) - EN Showbiz - Jonah Hill was a "beatsmith" in his youth.

The 27-year-old actor and comedian is a big fan of hip-hop music. Jonah has been a fan of a variety of rappers including Nas and Jay-Z for over a decade.

Jonah is so passionate about the genre that he once composed rap songs himself.

"I made beats," Jonah gushed to MTV News. "I was a beatsmith."

Jonah has had the opportunity to meet a few of his favourite rap artists in recent years. While shooting his upcoming film Neighbourhood Watch in September, he and co-star Ben Stiller visited T.I. at the musician's studio in Atlanta.

"Stiller and I went to go visit recently paroled T.I. in his music studio in Atlanta," Jonah recalled. "We thought it was going to be this big party. It was just a bunch of dudes listening to music."

Jonah supports up-and-coming hip-hop artists too. 2011 VMA Best New Artist winner Tyler, the Creator of Odd Future is one of his musical inspirations at the moment.

"I love Tyler. He's awesome," Jonah said.

Jonah's upcoming comedy The Sitter will be released in December. (C) Cover Media