Very little is known about Juice as a group — they were one of countless mid-1970s disco-funk outfits who released a single or two and vanished. "Catch a Groove" appeared in 1976 on the Sue International label, and on its own terms it was a solid piece of uptempo dance music with a punchy horn section and a drummer who played like he was trying to knock the back wall out of the studio. It wasn't a hit. The record ended up in bargain bins.

That's where the crate diggers found it. By the mid-1980s, hip-hop DJs in New York were scouring thrift stores and dollar bins for records with usable breaks, and "Catch a Groove" had exactly what they needed — a clean, propulsive drum pattern with enough snap to cut through on a park system. Marley Marl built "The Symphony" on it, arguably the greatest posse cut in hip-hop history. Audio Two used it for "Top Billin'." Black Sheep flipped it for "The Choice Is Yours." DJ Premier kept coming back to it across decades of production.

The story of "Catch a Groove" is really the story of hip-hop's relationship with obscurity. An unknown group's forgotten single became the rhythmic backbone of some of the most celebrated records in the genre. The original Juice members — whoever they were — likely had no idea their modest dance record would become one of the most sampled breaks in music.