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

Grant Kirkhope, the renowned composer behind classics like Donkey Kong 64, has shed light on why he wasn't credited for the DK Rap in The Super Mario Bros. Movie. In an interview with Eurogamer, Kirkhope revealed that Nintendo opted not to credit composers for music they own, with the exception of Koji Kondo. This policy extended to the DK Rap, despite its vocal component which initially seemed to warrant a credit.

Kirkhope recounted his conversation with Nintendo, expressing his disappointment over the lack of recognition. He noted that by the time the credits rolled in the theater, most audiences had left, leaving only him and his family to see the absence of his name. "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 explained.

In 2023, Kirkhope voiced his frustration on social media, stating, "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." Other Nintendo-owned tracks like Bowser's Fury were similarly uncredited, while licensed tracks received proper acknowledgments.

Kirkhope described the sampling of the DK Rap in the film as "bizarre," suggesting it was directly taken from the N64 game. Despite his contributions on guitar and the involvement of the "lads from Rare" in the "D-K" part, none were credited.

When asked about the potential inclusion of the DK Rap in the Nintendo Music App, Kirkhope was uncertain. He mentioned that while some of David Wise's work has been added to the app, Nintendo's apparent disinterest in Donkey Kong 64 might affect its inclusion. "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," he said.

Interestingly, Donkey Kong 64 is not part of the N64 Switch Online lineup, though elements like the Rambi theme may appear in Donkey Kong Bananza. For more insights from Kirkhope, including discussions on potential new projects like Banjo Kazooie and Donkey Kong Bananza, 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.