Grant Kirkhope, the acclaimed composer behind the iconic DK Rap from Donkey Kong 64, has shed light on why he was not credited in The Super Mario Bros. Movie. In an interview with Eurogamer, Kirkhope revealed that Nintendo opted not to credit composers for any music it owns, which includes the DK Rap.

"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 explained. "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 rolled in the movie, the theater was empty except for him and his family. "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 said.

In 2023, Kirkhope voiced his frustration on social media: "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 were also uncredited, licensed songs in the film did receive proper credits for their composers and performers.

Kirkhope described the sampling of the DK Rap in the movie as "bizarre," suggesting it sounded like they "just plugged in the N64 and sampled it and looped it." He contributed guitar to the track, while the "lads from Rare" performed the "D-K" part, yet none received recognition.

When asked about the potential inclusion of the DK Rap on 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."

Notably, Donkey Kong 64 is absent from the N64 Switch Online lineup, though the Rambi theme is set to appear in Donkey Kong Bananza. For more insights from Kirkhope, including discussions on a potential new Banjo Kazooie and Donkey Kong Bananza, you can read the full interview on Eurogamer.

Looking ahead, a new Super Mario Bros. movie is in development and is scheduled for release in April 2026.