DK Rap Composer Reveals Reason for Lack of Credit in Super Mario Bros. Movie

Grant Kirkhope, the renowned composer behind classics like Donkey Kong 64, recently shared insights into why he was not credited in The Super Mario Bros. Movie for the DK Rap. In a revealing interview with Eurogamer, Kirkhope explained that Nintendo made a policy decision not to credit composers for any music they own, with the exception of Koji Kondo. This policy extended to the DK Rap, despite its vocal component which initially seemed to qualify it for credits.

"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 recounted. "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, highlighting the fleeting nature of movie credits: "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: "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 not credited, licensed tracks did receive proper acknowledgments. Kirkhope described the sampling of the DK Rap in the film as "bizarre," suggesting it was done in a rudimentary way: "like they just plugged in the N64 and sampled it and looped it." Despite his contribution on guitar and the vocal parts by "the lads from Rare," none of them received credit.

When asked about the potential inclusion of the DK Rap in the Nintendo Music App, Kirkhope responded with uncertainty: "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."

As Eurogamer pointed out, Donkey Kong 64 is notably absent from the N64 Switch Online lineup, though elements like the Rambi theme may appear in future projects like Donkey Kong Bananza. For more from Kirkhope, including discussions on a potential new Banjo Kazooie and the nostalgia of game soundtracks, you can read the full interview on Eurogamer.

Looking ahead, the Mario cinematic universe continues to expand, with a new Super Mario Bros. movie slated for release in April 2026.