Grant Kirkhope, the renowned composer behind classics like Donkey Kong 64, recently shared insights into why he was not credited for the DK Rap in The Super Mario Bros. Movie. In a candid interview with Eurogamer, Kirkhope revealed that after the film's release, he had a conversation with Nintendo. The company explained their policy of not crediting composers for any music they own, with the exception of 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, noting that by the time the credits roll, most of the audience has already left the theater. "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," he recounted.
In 2023, Kirkhope took to social media to voice his frustration: "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 the DK Rap went uncredited, other licensed tracks in the film did receive proper credits for their composers and performers. Kirkhope described the sampling of the DK Rap as "bizarre," suggesting it was done by simply plugging in an N64 and looping the track. He mentioned that he played guitar on the original track, while the "lads from Rare" contributed the iconic "D-K" part, yet none of them were credited.
When asked about the possibility of the DK Rap being added to the Nintendo Music App, Kirkhope responded thoughtfully: "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 also pointed out that Donkey Kong 64 is not part of the N64 Switch Online lineup, though the Rambi theme appears to be included in the upcoming Donkey Kong Bananza.
For those interested in more from Kirkhope, the full interview on Eurogamer covers a range of topics, including potential new projects like Banjo Kazooie and Donkey Kong Bananza, as well as the role of nostalgia in gaming music.
Looking ahead, a new Super Mario Bros. movie is currently in development and is set to premiere in April 2026.
