Grant Kirkhope, the acclaimed composer behind iconic titles like Donkey Kong 64, has revealed why his name was omitted from The Super Mario Bros. Movie credits despite featuring the infamous DK Rap.

Speaking with Eurogamer, Kirkhope explained that Nintendo opted not to credit composers for any in-game music it owns—including the DK Rap—following his post-release inquiry. The sole exception was Koji Kondo.

"Nintendo's policy was to exclude composer credits for game-origin tracks they owned, though they initially made an exception for vocal tracks," Kirkhope shared. "That would have covered the DK Rap. But then they reversed course—if they owned the rights, no credits would appear. That sealed it."

"I understand corporate policies, but when those end credits rolled in empty theaters—just my family cheering 'Look, Daddy's name!'—I thought: Was two lines of text really too much?" reflected Kirkhope.

The composer had publicly voiced disappointment in 2023 via Twitter: "Anticipated seeing my DK Rap credit... yet unsurprisingly, nothing. FML."

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

Notably, while Nintendo-owned compositions like Bowser's Fury went uncredited, licensed soundtrack pieces received full attribution.

Kirkhope described the DK Rap's inclusion as peculiar—as if "someone sampled the N64 version verbatim." Neither his guitar work nor Rare's iconic "D-K" vocals received acknowledgment.

When Eurogamer inquired whether Nintendo might feature the track on its Music App—given its ownership—Kirkhope responded cryptically: "They've added [David] Wise's work before... Rumor was Nintendo never truly appreciated DK64. Whether that's accurate? Your guess."

Eurogamer observed DK64 remains absent from Nintendo Switch Online's N64 library, though Rambi's theme may resurface in Donkey Kong Bananza. The mystery endures.

The full Eurogamer interview explores Kirkhope's insights on potential Banjo-Kazooie revivals, DK Bananza, and gaming's nostalgic soundscapes.

Meanwhile, Nintendo confirmed another Super Mario Bros. movie installment is in production, slated for April 2026.