TMZ Hip Hop quizzed the veteran comedian about the number of impersonations he tackled in the movie, and he admits he's lost count ... suffice to say there's a lot.

The film is based on hip hop's 50-year timeline, and the official trailer finds Affion hilariously assuming the identity of everyone from DJ Kool Herc to Russell Simmons, Snoop Dogg and Jay-Z.

Affion's been honing his craft by imitating the best rappers for years -- dating back to his days on "Wild 'n Out" and "Def Comedy Jam" -- and tells us he's a hip hop head at heart and all his jokes come from a place of love and fandom.

Cedric The Entertainer also joins in the fun as a faux Biggie Smalls as do Eminem and Salt-N-Pepa, but there's a good chance that the "Kanway West" character will steal the show.

We know better than most how unpredictable Kanye can be ... his 'HHS' character goes off the rails much like he did when he snatched our photog's phone earlier this week.

Affion isn't worried about Ye's reaction to his film -- he's in the business of managing laughter, not sensitive artists -- but says, quite frankly, he doesn't know how the megastar will react. Who could, really???