true77
If you issue a tiny squeak when Donkey Kong enters the chat in The Super Mario Bros. Movie it might be because he’s your favourite Nintendo character. Or it might be the soundtrack, which will specifically delight anyone who obsessed over Nintendo’s Donkey Kong 64 in the ’90s.
In one of the best moments of directors Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic’s film, Mario (Chris Pratt), Peach (Anya Taylor Joy), and Toad (Keegan-Michael Key) have travelled to the Jungle Kingdom on a diplomatic mission. The ruler of the Jungle Kingdom, Cranky Kong (Fred Armisen), won’t negotiate with any ol’ princess or plumber, however, and challenges Mario to fight his son, Donkey Kong (Seth Rogen), in an arena scene worthy of Thor: Ragnarok.
It’s here, Donkey Kong struts into the battle zone and flexes in overt bravado to the unmistakeable sounds of the beloved, completely silly “DK Rap.” Written by Rare composer Grant Kirkhope pretty much as a joke for the game and performed by creative leads George Andreas and Chris Sutherland, this cheesy little number will be familiar to Nintendo 64 fiends, who refused to skip the opening number from Rare’s 1999 game Donkey Kong 64.
Seth Rogen, who voices DK in the film, called it “objectively one of the worst rap songs of all time.” A bit harsh, but not entirely without merit.
Rogen told Mashable he’d played most iterations of Donkey Kong, from the iconic 1981 arcade original to Rare’s 1994 game Donkey Kong Country released on Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), to the 1999 Nintendo 64 version in question.
As a kid, I personally worshipped Donkey Kong 64, the funny, multi-character platformer developed by Rare and published by Nintendo in 1999. I was 11 years old, thriving from years of visits to my cousins’ house to destroy my tiny palm with spinning games on Mario Party on their Nintendo 64 any chance I could get (I love my cousins too, of course, they’re the best). Finally, one Christmas, my sister and I landed our very own Nintendo 64 in Ice Blue. ICE BLUE, PEOPLE. (Thaaaaanks Mum.) Of course, we devoured the Rare-developed Treasure Trove Coves and Freezeezy Peaks of Banjo-Kazooie first in ’98, but then moved on to the bright yellow cartridge that was Donkey Kong 64 in ’99.
The first thing you see when you load DK 64, before you jump into the Frantic Factory and Crystal Caves of it all? The “DK Rap”. All five playable members of the Kong crew — Donkey, Chunky, Tiny, Diddy, and Lanky — perform their special abilities while Andreas and Sutherland rap about each character, and Cranky Kong helms the decks as DJ. Though Tiny, Chunky, and Lanky Kong don’t appear in the film, Diddy gets a shoutout in the crowd at least.
Donkey Kong 64‘s creative leads George Andreas, Grant Kirkhope, Mark Stevenson, and Chris Sutherland created the “DK Rap” as a joke for the game. Sadly, Kirkhope hasn’t been included in the credits for The Super Mario Movie, a fact he lamented on Twitter.
“What began life as a lunchtime joke between Andreas, Kirkhope, and Rare programmer Chris Sutherland, the song was panned by fans and critics upon the game’s release for its cringy lyrics and seemingly foolhardy attempt at a serious rap track,” wrote Tom Power for Games Radar in 2019. “Like Donkey Kong 64, time has changed people’s perceptions of the DK Rap. It’s become a meme, been remixed by DJs across the globe, and appeared on DK-themed stages in the Super Smash Bros franchise. The DK Rap has taken on subcultural significance, and its tongue-in-cheek nature — one of Rare’s hallmarks — has helped it to transcend generations.”
Here’s DK’s verse, just so you can understand the majesty of it all:
He’s the leader of the bunch, you know him well
He’s finally back to kick some tail
The Artistry of the Lyrics
Rogen’s observation about the artistry of the lyrics in the Donkey Kong song is on point. The catchy lines and nostalgic references make it a treat for millennial gamers.
DK vs Mario in The Super Mario Bros. Movie
In The Super Mario Bros. Movie, we see Donkey Kong enter the arena to fight Mario. This showdown between the two iconic characters is a delight for fans, especially those with a nostalgic connection to the game.
Upcoming Release: The Super Mario Bros. Movie
The Super Mario Bros. Movie is set to hit theatres on April 7. Fans of the franchise are eagerly anticipating this release, which promises to bring the beloved characters to life in a new and exciting way.
Topics
Gaming
Nintendo
