Grant Kirkhope, renowned for his work on classics like Donkey Kong 64, recently shared insights into why his name was absent from the credits of The Super Mario Bros. Movie, specifically regarding the DK Rap. In a conversation with Eurogamer, Kirkhope revealed that Nintendo opted not to credit composers for any music it owns, with the exception of Koji Kondo. He 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."
Kirkhope expressed his disappointment, noting that by the time the credits roll, most of the audience has left, leaving only his family to witness the absence of his name. He lamented, "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."
In 2023, Kirkhope took to social media to voice his frustration, 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 tracks like Bowser's Fury also went uncredited, licensed tracks did receive proper acknowledgments. Kirkhope described the sampling of the DK Rap in the movie as "bizarre," likening it to simply plugging in an N64 and looping the sound. He contributed guitar to the track, with the "lads from Rare" performing the "D-K" vocals, yet none were credited.
Eurogamer also inquired about the potential inclusion of the DK Rap in 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 elements like the Rambi theme are set to feature in Donkey Kong Bananza. For more on Kirkhope's thoughts, including discussions on a potential new Banjo Kazooie and Donkey Kong Bananza, check out the full interview on Eurogamer.
As for future projects, a new Super Mario Bros. movie is in development, slated for release in April 2026.
