Grant Kirkhope, renowned for his work on classic video games like Donkey Kong 64, has shed light on why he was not credited for the DK Rap in The Super Mario Bros. Movie. In a conversation with Eurogamer, Kirkhope revealed that Nintendo decided 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 qualify it for credits.
Kirkhope recounted his dialogue with Nintendo, expressing his disappointment: "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 highlighted the fleeting nature of movie credits, noting that by the time the credits rolled, the audience had already left, leaving only him and his family to see his potential mention: "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 2023 social media post where he lamented the absence of his name in the credits: "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."
While the DK Rap and another Nintendo-owned song, Bowser's Fury, went uncredited, licensed tracks in the film were properly acknowledged. Kirkhope described the sampling of the DK Rap as "bizarre," suggesting it was directly taken from the N64 game and looped.
When asked about the possibility of the DK Rap being added to the Nintendo Music App, Kirkhope expressed uncertainty but noted Nintendo's ownership of the music. He also mentioned a rumor that Nintendo was not particularly fond of Donkey Kong 64, which might explain its absence from the N64 Switch Online lineup, though elements like the Rambi theme might appear in 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, a new Super Mario Bros. movie is in development, slated for release in April 2026.
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