Grant Kirkhope, the acclaimed composer behind iconic video game soundtracks such as Donkey Kong 64, recently shared insights into why he was not credited in The Super Mario Bros. Movie for his work on the now-infamous DK Rap.
In a revealing interview with Eurogamer, Kirkhope explained that after the film’s release, he reached out to Nintendo and learned that the company had a specific policy: it chose not to credit composers for music it owns—except for Koji Kondo. The situation became even more nuanced when Nintendo reportedly made exceptions for vocal tracks but ultimately decided against crediting composers if it owned the material outright.
Kirkhope recounted the disappointment of seeing his name absent from the credits: “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 continued, “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 express his frustration over the omission, writing:
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
— Grant Kirkhope (@grantkirkhope) April 5, 2023
Interestingly, while the DK Rap went uncredited, other licensed tracks in the film did include proper recognition for their composers and performers. Another Nintendo-owned track featured in the movie, Bowser's Fury, also lacked composer credits.
Kirkhope described the way the DK Rap was used in the film as somewhat puzzling: “It was bizarre, like they just plugged in the N64 and sampled it and looped it.” He played guitar on the original track, while members of Rare contributed the signature “D-K” chant—none of which received on-screen acknowledgment.
When asked by Eurogamer whether the DK Rap might eventually appear on the Nintendo Music App, Kirkhope responded thoughtfully: “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 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 not part of the Nintendo Switch Online N64 library, though hints suggest its musical influence may live on—such as in Donkey Kong Bananza, where Rambi’s theme appears to make a return.
For those interested in hearing more from Kirkhope, the full Eurogamer interview dives into topics including the possibility of a new Banjo-Kazooie title, Donkey Kong Bananza, and how nostalgia shapes modern game audio.
Meanwhile, fans of the Mushroom Kingdom can look forward to a new Super Mario Bros. Movie, currently scheduled for release in April 2026.
