DK Rap composer snubbed by Super Mario Movie credits

DK Rap composer snubbed by Super Mario Movie credits
Nintendo | Illumination

Written by 

Joseph Kime

Published 

6th Apr 2023 09:09

The Super Mario Bros. Movie is finally here, and it's poised to take over the box office with little competition. Critics and fans can argue all they like about the quality of the film and what it means for the future of the video game movie, but kids love it.

Given that the younger audience is Illumination's target demographic, we'd say that's a big win. The Mario movie is peppered with Easter eggs that pay homage to Nintendo games old and new - although a pretty major one apparently went uncredited.

The composer of the DK rap calls out Illumination

One of the deepest cuts to The Super Mario Bros. Movie comes via the DK Rap. The cringe-inducing meme-ified rager that opens Donkey Kong 64 is part of the game that many think defines the character. The song has become an icon ever since, while the movie pays homage to its legacy.

Unfortunately, Illumination forgot to pay homage to its creator. Grant Kirkhope is the man behind the song and has taken to the internet to express his disappointment in not appearing in the film's credits.

"I was really looking forward to see my name in the credits for the DK Rap, but alas as expected it's not there…" he says in a tweet. Yikes. It's a shame that the song's creator didn't receive his due credit, especially as Donkey Kong himself has roasted it.

Seth Rogen hates the DK Rap

In a promotional video that came out recently, Seth Rogen revealed that Donkey Kong was stepping out to the DK Rap - and he promptly called it "objectively one of the worst rap songs of all time." He at least gives it "ten out of ten bananas" after the fact, but the damage is done.

Who'd have thought that the DK Rap would be the centre of such discourse? Though it appears in the film, this lack of credit is a huge shame and massively telling of the attitudes of its filmmaker. Put some respect on the name of the DK Rap crew, dammit.

Joseph Kime
About the author
Joseph Kime
Joseph Kime is the Senior Trending News Journalist for GGRecon from Devon, UK. Before graduating from MarJon University with a degree in Journalism, he started writing music reviews for his own website before writing for the likes of FANDOM, Zavvi and The Digital Fix. He is host of the Big Screen Book Club podcast, and author of Building A Universe, a book that chronicles the history of superhero movies. His favourite games include DOOM (2016), Celeste and Pokemon Emerald.
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