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

Grant Kirkhope, the renowned composer behind classics like Donkey Kong 64, recently shared insights into why he wasn't credited for the DK Rap in The Super Mario Bros. Movie. In an interview with Eurogamer, Kirkhope revealed that Nintendo chose not to credit composers for music they own, which includes the DK Rap.

"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," Kirkhope explained. "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 in the movie, the theater was nearly empty. "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," he lamented.

In 2023, Kirkhope took to social media to voice his frustration: "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 did receive proper credits for their composers and performers.

Kirkhope described the sampling of the DK Rap in the movie as "bizarre," likening it to someone "just plugged in the N64 and sampled it and looped it." He contributed guitar to the track, while the "lads from Rare" performed the iconic "D-K" part, yet none of them were credited.

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 on Kirkhope's thoughts, including discussions on potential new projects like Banjo Kazooie and Donkey Kong Bananza, you can read the full interview on Eurogamer.

Meanwhile, a new Super Mario Bros. movie is in development, set to release in April 2026.