Grant Kirkhope, the acclaimed composer known for his work on games like Donkey Kong 64, recently shed light on why he was not credited for the use of the DK Rap in The Super Mario Bros. Movie. In an interview with Eurogamer, Kirkhope revealed that Nintendo decided against crediting composers for any music it owns, except for Koji Kondo. This policy extended to the DK Rap, despite its vocal component which initially seemed to qualify it for credits.
Kirkhope detailed the convoluted decision-making process: "They said we decided that any music that was quoted from the games that we owned, we wouldn't credit the composers - apart from Koji Kondo," he explained. "Then they decided anything with a vocal would get credited, so the DK Rap scores there. But then they decided if we also own it, we won't credit the composers. And that was the final nail in the coffin."
He expressed his disappointment, noting that by the time the credits rolled in the movie, the theater was nearly empty, leaving only his immediate family to witness the absence of his name. Kirkhope lamented, "I said I appreciate you've got your policies and all the rest of it, but by the time the credits roll in the movie to show the songs, the theatre's completely empty, everyone's gone, it's only me and my wife and my two kids sat there going 'look daddy's name!'. I said 'for the sake of a couple of lines of text…', but that was that."
In 2023, Kirkhope took to social media to voice his frustration, tweeting: "I was really looking forward to see my name in the credits for the DK Rap, but alas as expected it's not there ........ fml."
The DK Rap, which Kirkhope contributed to by playing guitar, was sampled in a way he described as "bizarre," akin to simply plugging in an N64 and looping the track. Despite this, neither Kirkhope nor the "lads from Rare" who performed the "D-K" part received credits.
Eurogamer also inquired about the possibility of the DK Rap being added to the Nintendo Music App, to which Kirkhope responded, "I wonder. They have put some of [David Wise]'s stuff on it. They do own it all so it's up to them. I don't think they ever really liked [Donkey Kong 64] that much. That's a rumour we got back through the cycle of whispers from Nintendo when we were at Rare. I don't know if that's true or not."
Interestingly, while Donkey Kong 64 is not part of the N64 Switch Online lineup, elements like the Rambi theme seem poised to appear in the upcoming Donkey Kong Bananza.
For a deeper dive into Kirkhope's thoughts on potential future projects like a new Banjo Kazooie and Donkey Kong Bananza, as well as his reflections on nostalgia in gaming, you can read the full interview on Eurogamer.
Meanwhile, the Mario cinematic universe continues to expand, with a new Super Mario Bros. movie slated for release in April 2026.
