Illumination
The Super Mario Bros. Movie does not credit the composer of the DK Rap
Well-known composer Grant Kirkhope, who has contributed to some of Nintendo’s greatest game soundtracks, takes to social media to express his disappointment.
Ever since it was announced that the now legendary DK Rap would appear in The Super Mario Bros. Movie - through a promo by actor Seth Rogen, who voices Donkey Kong himself - the composer has been on social media like a kid with new shoes.
Always very active with his followers, the composer had expressed the illusion of seeing his well-known Donkey Kong 64 intro in the movie, which ended on a bittersweet note when the Scottish artist confirmed that his name does not appear in the credits. It simply states that the theme “DK Rap” was originally from Donkey Kong 64, with no further attribution, which left him very disappointed: “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.”
A nasty detail
Grant Kirkhope was one of the main musicians at Rare, along with the legendary David Wise and others such as Graeme Norgate, and was the main composer of soundtracks such as Banjo-Kazooie, Banjo-Tooie and Donkey Kong 64 itself. The DK Rap, which serves as the introduction to the Nintendo 64 game, is one of those tracks that has maintained its popularity over the decades, even though it was initially taken too seriously and attacked by the press as one of the worst raps they had ever heard. Over time, it was appreciated as something that was done for fun and began to acquire the status of “so bad it turns out to be good,” until it became a beloved nostalgic piece that has been used in recent games such as several Super Smash Bros. or Mario + Rabbids.
The Donkey Kong Rap was composed by Grant Kirkhope, with lyrics written and sung by George Andreas, and with the participation of several Rare members for backing vocals.