Grant Kirkhope, the acclaimed composer behind iconic video game soundtracks such as *Donkey Kong 64*, recently shared insights into why his work—specifically the infamous DK Rap—was not credited in *The Super Mario Bros. Movie*. In a revealing interview with Eurogamer, Kirkhope explained that Nintendo made a deliberate internal decision not to credit composers for music originating from games it owns, with the exception of Koji Kondo.
“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 revealed. “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 disappointment over the lack of recognition, especially considering the emotional weight of seeing one’s name on the big screen. “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.”
Back in 2023, Kirkhope took to social media to vent 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”
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 other Nintendo-owned tracks like *Bowser's Fury* were also left uncredited, licensed music in the film did receive proper acknowledgment. Kirkhope also described the sampling of the DK Rap in the movie as somewhat primitive. “It was bizarre,” he remarked. “Like they just plugged in the N64 and sampled it and looped it.” He added that he played guitar on the original track, while the “D-K” vocals were handled by fellow Rare team members—all of whom went uncredited.
When asked whether the DK Rap could eventually appear on the Nintendo Music App, Kirkhope offered a thoughtful response. “I wonder,” he said. “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 rumor 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.”
Notably, *Donkey Kong 64* is currently absent from the N64 lineup on Switch Online, although hints suggest elements of its soundtrack may appear in upcoming titles like *Donkey Kong Bananza*.
For more details on this and other nostalgic reflections, fans can check out the full Eurogamer interview with Kirkhope, where he also discussed potential future projects including new *Banjo Kazooie* content and the enduring sound of classic gaming.
Meanwhile, plans are already moving forward on a sequel to *The Super Mario Bros. Movie*, set for release in April 2026.
