Grant Kirkhope, the renowned composer behind classics like Donkey Kong 64, has shed light on why his name was omitted from the credits of The Super Mario Bros. Movie despite the use of the DK Rap. In a candid interview with Eurogamer, Kirkhope revealed that Nintendo opted not to credit composers for music it owns, except for Koji Kondo. This policy, as Kirkhope explained, evolved further to exclude credits for any owned music with vocals, ultimately leading to his exclusion from the film's 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," Kirkhope recounted. "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 the irony of the situation where the credits roll to an empty theater, leaving only his family to celebrate his uncredited contribution. "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," he shared.
His frustration was palpable in a 2023 social media post, where he lamented, "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 song, Bowser's Fury, went uncredited, external licensed tracks in the movie were duly acknowledged. Kirkhope described the sampling of the DK Rap in the film as "bizarre," likening it to a simple loop from an N64 console. Despite his contributions to the track, including playing the guitar and collaborating with the "lads from Rare" on the iconic "D-K" chant, none received recognition.
The conversation with Eurogamer also touched on the possibility of the DK Rap appearing on the Nintendo Music App, given Nintendo's ownership of the rights. Kirkhope expressed uncertainty, mentioning rumors of Nintendo's lukewarm reception to Donkey Kong 64, which might influence such decisions.
As for future projects, Kirkhope discussed potential developments like a new Banjo Kazooie game and Donkey Kong Bananza, as well as the role of nostalgia in gaming music. Meanwhile, fans of Mario can look forward to another installment in the franchise, with a new Super Mario Bros. movie slated for release in April 2026.
