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, has shed light on why he was not credited in The Super Mario Bros. Movie for the use of the DK Rap. In an interview with Eurogamer, Kirkhope revealed that Nintendo had decided not to credit composers for music they own, except for Koji Kondo. He 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."

Kirkhope expressed his disappointment, noting that by the time the credits rolled, the theater was nearly empty, with only his family present to see his name. He lamented, "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 voiced his frustration on social media, posting, "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 other Nintendo-owned songs like Bowser's Fury were also uncredited, licensed tracks received proper acknowledgment. Kirkhope described the sampling of the DK Rap as "bizarre," akin to simply "plugging in the N64 and sampling it and looping it." Despite his contributions on guitar and the vocal parts performed by the "lads from Rare," none were credited.

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

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.

As for the Mario franchise, a new Super Mario Bros. movie is currently in development, set to release in April 2026.