The creator of the infamousDonkey Kongrap won’t be credited inThe Super Mario Bros. Movie, much to his disappointment. Gamers were first introduced to the DK Rap in the classic Nintendo 64 platformerDonkey Kong 64, where it was used to introduce the titular ape and his colorful crew in the style of typical Rare-developed Nintendo titles of the time. Remixed versions of the tune have appeared in other Nintendo games likeDonkey Kongaand theSuper Smash Bros.series starting withMelee, and it was even included in the standalone soundtrack for the former in 2004.Despite its prevalence inDonkey Kong-related games and media, theDK Rap had a poor reception among playersat the time ofDonkey Kong 64and continues to divide fans to this day. Some players find it annoying, while others view the cheesy rap as a nostalgic staple of theDonkey Kongfranchise. Recently, Seth Rogan (who voices Donkey Kong inThe Super Mario Bros. Movie) threw shade at the DK Rap by calling it “one of the worst raps in history” - though he did admit that some parts of the song are catchy.RELATED:Nintendo Fan Shares Idea for Donkey Kong LEGO SetSeth Rogan also revealed that the DK Rap will beincluded inThe Super Mario Bros. Movieduring Donkey Kong’s introduction, but the artist who created it won’t be named in the film’s credits. A fan who recently saw the movie in theaters tweeted that the DK Rap is only listed as being “fromDonkey Kong 64” - without any mention of composer Grant Kirkhope. Kirkhope responded to this news by tweeting that he was looking forward to seeing his name in the credits ofThe Super Mario Bros. Movie, but he wasn’t expecting to be listed.
Grant Kirkhope has spoken in the past about the DK Rap, once calling it “bloody awful” during the40th anniversary of theDonkey Kongfranchiseback in 2021. However, he later noted that he has a sort of love/hate relationship with the song, as evidenced by his willingness to pay homage to it inYooka-Laylee. Aside from the DK Rap, he is well-known for his work in other classic N64 games likeBanjo-KazooieandGoldenEye, and recently returned to the world of Nintendo forMario + Rabbids Kingdom Battleand its sequelMario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope.
While Grant Kirkhope might not have the best memories forthe notorious DK Rap, many fans look back at the cheesy musical refrain fondly - and it has become so synonymous with Donkey Kong himself that it will be featured in his cinematic debut inThe Super Mario Bros. Movie. Unfortunately, the movie isn’t acknowledging Kirkhope as the person behind the iconic (if infamous) DK Rap - much to the disappointment of hardcore Nintendo fans lining up in theaters on opening day this week.
Donkey Kong 64was originally released on the Nintendo 64.
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