Grant Kirkhope, the renowned composer known for his work on classics like Donkey Kong 64, recently shed light on why he wasn't credited in The Super Mario Bros. Movie for the use of the DK Rap. In an interview with Eurogamer, Kirkhope revealed that Nintendo opted not to credit composers for music it owns, which includes the DK Rap, except for Koji Kondo.
"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," Kirkhope 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."
Kirkhope expressed his disappointment over the lack of recognition, noting that by the time the credits rolled in the movie, the theater was nearly empty, with only his family left to see his name. He 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."
Interestingly, while other Nintendo-owned tracks like Bowser's Fury were also uncredited, licensed tracks in the film did receive proper credits for their composers and performers. Kirkhope described the sampling of the DK Rap in the movie as "bizarre," likening it to simply plugging in an N64 and looping the track. He noted that he played guitar on the original track, while the "lads from Rare" performed the iconic "D-K" part, yet none were credited.
When asked about the potential inclusion of the DK Rap in the Nintendo Music App, given that Nintendo owns the rights, 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."
Eurogamer pointed out that Donkey Kong 64 is notably absent from the N64 Switch Online lineup, though the Rambi theme may appear in the upcoming Donkey Kong Bananza. For more insights from Kirkhope, including discussions on potential new projects like Banjo Kazooie and Donkey Kong Bananza, and the essence of nostalgic soundtracks, you can read the full interview on Eurogamer.
Meanwhile, the Mario movie franchise continues to expand, with a new Super Mario Bros. movie set to release in April 2026.
