DK Rap Composer Reveals Frustration Over Nintendo’s Super Mario Bros. Movie Credit Snub
The catchy DK Rap from Donkey Kong 64 made a surprise appearance in the Super Mario Bros. Movie, but its composer, Grant Kirkhope, wasn't credited. Why? Kirkhope has finally revealed the reason behind the snub, and it's a mix of company policy and what he suspects might be a long-held dislike for Donkey Kong 64 itself.
After the film's release in 2023, Kirkhope expressed his disappointment on social media, particularly since other licensed music in the movie *was* credited. In a recent interview with Eurogamer, he explained that Nintendo informed him that they had a policy of not crediting composers for music they owned, 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 said. "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 tried to reason with Nintendo, pointing out that by the time the credits roll, most of the audience has left. "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." Bowser's Fury, also owned by Nintendo, suffered the same fate.
What makes the situation even more peculiar is that the DK Rap wasn't re-recorded for the movie. "It's bizarre how they just sampled it straight from the game," Kirkhope noted. "They just plugged in the N64 and sampled it and looped it. There's no re-recording done, straight out the game. So it's me playing guitar on it. It's the lads from Rare doing the [sings] 'D-K' thing. They're all the performers on the track. So they're all in the movie uncredited."
Adding fuel to the fire, Kirkhope hinted at a potential reason why Nintendo might be reluctant to highlight his work on Donkey Kong 64: "I don't think they ever really liked DK 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." This could explain why Donkey Kong 64 is noticeably absent from the Switch Online collection. Though, Rambi the rhinoceros does seem to be making a return in Donkey Kong Bananza.
Nintendo's stance raises questions about crediting artists, even when the rights are owned by the company. While legally sound, the decision has left a sour taste for Kirkhope and many fans. Is this a case of justifiable policy, or a missed opportunity to acknowledge the talent behind a beloved piece of gaming history?
What do you think about Nintendo's decision? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
