Grant Kirkhope, the celebrated composer known for his work on games like Donkey Kong 64, has shed light on why he was not credited in The Super Mario Bros. Movie for the use of the iconic DK Rap. In a candid interview with Eurogamer, Kirkhope revealed that Nintendo had a policy against crediting composers for music it owns, 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 expressed his disappointment, noting that by the time the credits rolled in the movie, 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 shared.
In 2023, Kirkhope took to social media to voice his frustration, 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 tracks like Bowser's Fury were also not credited, licensed tracks in the film did receive proper recognition for their composers and performers. Kirkhope described the use of the DK Rap in the movie as "bizarre," likening it to simply plugging in an N64 and sampling the track.
Kirkhope, who played guitar on the DK Rap, noted that the "lads from Rare" who contributed the "D-K" vocals were also uncredited. When asked about the possibility of the DK Rap appearing on 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 the theme for Rambi is expected to feature in Donkey Kong Bananza. For more insights from Kirkhope, including discussions on potential new projects like Banjo Kazooie and Donkey Kong Bananza, readers can check out the full interview on Eurogamer.
Meanwhile, a new Super Mario Bros. movie is in development and is slated for release in April 2026.
