Grant Kirkhope, the renowned composer behind classics like Donkey Kong 64, has shed light on why he wasn't credited in The Super Mario Bros. Movie for the use of the infamous DK Rap. In an interview with Eurogamer, Kirkhope revealed that after the film's release, he discussed the issue with Nintendo. The company had decided not to credit any music it owns, including the DK Rap, with the exception of Koji Kondo's work.
"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 roll, theaters are typically 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 shared.
In 2023, Kirkhope took to social media to voice his frustration about not being credited for the DK Rap, tweeting, "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 not credited, licensed tracks in the film did receive proper acknowledgments. 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 involvement of the "lads from Rare" in the "D-K" part, none were credited.
When asked about the possibility of the DK Rap being added to 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 available on the N64 Switch Online lineup, though the theme for Rambi is expected to appear in Donkey Kong Bananza. For more insights from Kirkhope, including discussions on the potential for a new Banjo Kazooie and Donkey Kong Bananza, you can read the full interview on Eurogamer.
As for the future of Mario's cinematic universe, a new Super Mario Bros. movie is in development and is set to be released in April 2026.
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