Here are the only seven people Jonah Hill (@JonahHill) currently follows on Twitter: Talib Kweli Greene, R.A. the Rugged Man, Pharoahe Monch, DJ Premier, Stretch and Bobbito, Grand Puba, and Kanye West.
What’s up with those selections, Jonah? They are sparse. Showy. More than a little braggy. Slightly ridiculous. Actually, they are completely ridiculous. These are the follows of a man with a very clear message to send and that message is “I have very narrow interests.”
When Ringer staffers discovered this strange little following, it blew our minds. There, laid forth in seven decisive selections, was everything we ever needed to know about Jonah Hill. Because it’s our belief that celebrity Twitter follows are a way to lift the veil — to get a glimpse into the inner workings of the celebrity’s mind. This doesn’t apply to, say, the Taye Diggses of the Twitterverse, whose social media strategy is “follow every person with a Twitter account,” or to the Britney Spearses of the world, who clearly outsource their tweets. But for the celebrities who actually engage, and who make deliberate Twitter decisions, it’s a revelation.
And so we’re introducing a new, occasional series: Following Celebrity Follows, which will answer the important questions like, why does Mariah Carey follow Lacey Chabert? All week long, we will be examining Twitter accounts and excavating the deeper meanings. (Yes, Twitter follows have deeper meanings.) We will learn who is a total narcissist, who is super petty, who recently found Jesus (and who maybe needs to find Jesus), who is a genuine human being, and who is just a spambot.
But first: Here’s what I learned about Jonah Hill from the people he follows on Twitter.
Fact: Jonah Hill Really Loves Hip-hop
This seems pretty obvious, but recently, for professional reasons, I had to guess what Jonah Hill was listening to on his headphones, and I guessed a playlist inspired by Warped Tour ’97. I’m sorry Jonah, for I now know how wrong I was. It is clear now that you love hip-hop. Like really, really love it.
Hill follows some backpack rap icons — Talib, Grand Puba, R.A. — and Very Important tastemakers, such as legendary New York radio personalities Stretch and Bobbito. He has Taste and Knowledge, and would like you to know it, much like a high school junior who goes to a pre-college program, makes a black friend, and comes back home to get really into BET.
Fact: Actually, Jonah Hill Is a Bit of a Music Snob
No new Chance, no new Vince, if it was wildly popular in the past decade, Jonah Hill won’t listen to it and he’s going to argue his stance with you to the death.
Theory: Jonah Hill Is Possibly a Little Bit Annoying at Parties
It’s the Fourth of July. You’re throwing a barbecue. You spent a few days pulling together your Perfect Throwback Hip-Hop Backyard BBQ Playlist. It’s airtight. Jonah Hill is the guy who’s gonna come and shit all over that playlist. “Oh that Tribe song? I mean it’s fine but like … a little mainstream.” “Three 6? Please.” And then he’ll play his own playlist and everyone will be “very impressed,” but then everyone will leave because they just want to drunkenly dance to Rihanna. Everyone except for Jonah, who wants to play you this incredible mixtape he got from his super-elite torrent site, one that he’ll restart a few times when he suspects you weren’t really listening to how gracefully that sample came in at the end of the third verse.
Theory: Jonah Hill Probably Has a Lot of Hidden Videos of Himself Rapping Along to Songs He Loves
I feel with 100 percent certainty, down to the very core of my being, that there is a video of Jonah Hill rapping both parts of “Forgot About Dre.” (He does NOT rap the parts with the N-word, though.) I bet he wrote his own rhymes, too. I bet he has a rapper name — Lil’ Jojy or Benny Hill or Thor, I don’t know. I bet he also has a graffiti tag.
Fact: Jonah Hill Has Total Disdain for Los Angeles and Wishes He Wasn’t From There
Jonah Hill is from L.A., but he’s always wanted to claim New York as his Native Homeland. He lives there now, after years of probably lying to people at summer camp about living there. He definitely grew up listening to the tapes of Stretch and Bobbito his cousin sent him. He’d lie back, put on his Bose headphones and dream about taking the subway and eating real Noo Yawk cheesecake, like a real goddamn Noo Yawker — the man he was always supposed to be.
Fact: Jonah Hill Is a Kanye West Fan
It’s a bold statement to be a real Kanye West fan. I think Hill really gets Kanye. I bet it means he understands what Kanye understands about mania, about art, about performance art, about creation, about Kardashians. He channels everything Kanye knows into his own art, which is how we ended up with War Dogs.
Theory: Jonah Hill Is Down With the Swirl
Jonah Hill is a nice Jewish boy from Los Angeles who loves hip-hop. I know your type, Jonah Hill. A personally exciting revelation.
Fact: Jonah Hill Is Going to Make You a Really Good Playlist
Which will be great when I’m his girlfriend. (See: Above.)