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

Grant Kirkhope, renowned for his work on classic video games including Donkey Kong 64, has shed light on why he was not credited in The Super Mario Bros. Movie for the DK Rap. In a conversation with Eurogamer, Kirkhope revealed that Nintendo opted not to credit composers for any 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 credit.

Kirkhope recounted his discussion 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 elaborated on the impact of this decision, noting the timing of the credits in the movie: "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."

Interestingly, while the DK Rap and another Nintendo-owned track, Bowser's Fury, went uncredited, licensed tracks in the film did receive proper acknowledgment for their composers and performers. Kirkhope described the use of the DK Rap in the movie as "bizarre," suggesting it was sampled directly from the N64 game and looped.

When asked about the potential inclusion of the DK Rap in the Nintendo Music App, Kirkhope expressed uncertainty but noted that Nintendo owns the rights and could decide to include it. He also mentioned a rumor from his time at Rare that Nintendo was not particularly fond of Donkey Kong 64, which might influence their decisions regarding the game's music.

For more insights from Kirkhope, including discussions on potential new projects like Banjo Kazooie and Donkey Kong Bananza, readers can refer to the full interview on Eurogamer. Meanwhile, fans of the Mario franchise can look forward to a new Super Mario Bros. movie set to release in April 2026.