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

Grant Kirkhope, the renowned composer behind the iconic DK Rap from Donkey Kong 64, recently shared his disappointment regarding his lack of credit in The Super Mario Bros. Movie. In an interview with Eurogamer, Kirkhope explained that Nintendo decided not to credit composers for any music it owns, with the exception of Koji Kondo. This policy led to Kirkhope's exclusion from the credits, despite the DK Rap being featured in the film.

Kirkhope detailed his conversation with Nintendo, expressing his frustration: "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. 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 further lamented the timing of the credits, noting that by the time they rolled, the theater was empty except for his family: "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."

Kirkhope's frustration was evident in a tweet from April 2023: "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's use in the movie was described by Kirkhope as "bizarre," likening it to a simple N64 sample loop. Despite his contributions on guitar and the vocal work 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 speculated: "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 noted that Donkey Kong 64 is not part of the N64 Switch Online lineup, though elements from the game might appear in other projects like Donkey Kong Bananza. Kirkhope's full interview on Eurogamer covers more ground, including discussions on a potential new Banjo Kazooie, Donkey Kong Bananza, and the role of nostalgia in gaming.

Looking ahead, the Super Mario Bros. franchise is set to continue with a new movie planned for release in April 2026.