You may not know his name, and you’ve never heard his voice, but you’ve probably seen his face.

It’s the same one staring out at you in hundreds of TikTok and Instagram videos that have been viewed billions of times. But unlike most social media stars, Jarred Jermaine has earned his internet celebrity performing an essential cultural service: He breaks down modern music to its DNA, uncovering samples, interpolations and too-close-for-comfort homages in today’s Top 40 hits.

He’s since widened his scope to help followers identify elusive songs and shed some light on the songwriting process. But his bread and butter remains sample detection. With more than 6 million followers on TikTok and 3 million on Instagram, it’s a talent that has clearly found a massive and appreciative audience.

Jermaine caught up with The Hollywood Reporter to explain just why samples and interpolations are so prevalent in pop music,...