The Monkees were a manufactured pop group — assembled for a television show, mocked by rock critics, and largely dismissed as inauthentic. But "Mary, Mary," a 1967 track written by Michael Nesmith, had something the snobs missed: a driving, distorted guitar riff and a heavy drum groove that would sound right at home in a hip-hop production decades later.

Run-DMC were the first to recognize the break's potential, and their usage helped establish the idea that hip-hop could sample from any genre — even a band that rock purists considered a joke. The Monkees sample became a quiet statement about hip-hop's irreverence: while rock critics debated authenticity, producers just listened for what sounded good.