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

Grant Kirkhope, the acclaimed composer known for his work on games like Donkey Kong 64, has shed light on why he wasn't credited in The Super Mario Bros. Movie for the use of the DK Rap. In a detailed interview with Eurogamer, Kirkhope revealed that Nintendo made a policy decision to not credit any music it owns in the film's credits, with the exception of Koji Kondo.

Kirkhope explained, "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 expressed his disappointment, noting that by the time the credits rolled, the theater was nearly empty, and only his immediate family remained to see if his name would appear. Kirkhope remarked, "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," suggesting it was directly taken from the N64 game and looped. Despite this, neither Kirkhope nor the "lads from Rare" who performed the "D-K" part were credited.

When asked about the possibility of the DK Rap appearing on 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."

Interestingly, Donkey Kong 64 is not part of the N64 Switch Online lineup, though elements like the Rambi theme may appear in future projects like Donkey Kong Bananza.

For more insights from Kirkhope, including discussions on potential new projects like Banjo Kazooie and Donkey Kong Bananza, readers can refer to the full Eurogamer interview. Meanwhile, fans of Mario can look forward to a new Super Mario Bros. movie, set to release in April 2026.