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DK Rap
The "DK Rap" is the introductory theme music for the 1999 Nintendo 64 video game Donkey Kong 64. Its lyrics were written by Rare designer George Andreas, who performed the vocals for the song, and musician Grant Kirkhope, who composed the melody. Rare staffers contributed vocals to the chorus. Its lyrics describe the five playable characters in the game, with Kirkhope's goal to juxtapose the previous iteration of Donkey Kong from Donkey Kong Country against the new one.
The "DK Rap" is the first song in the 1999 Donkey Kong 64 Original Soundtrack, where it was named "Da Banana Bunch". Despite Grant Kirkhope not intending to make a serious rap, the "DK Rap" has received generally negative reception and has been awarded "dubious awards" for its quality. The song has since been remixed in other Nintendo games.
The lyrics to the "DK Rap" describe the five playable characters in Donkey Kong 64, one per verse: Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, Tiny Kong, Lanky Kong, and Chunky Kong. The rap was conceived by Donkey Kong 64 designer George Andreas and composed by Grant Kirkhope. Andreas took inspiration from the band Run-DMC. Kirkhope's goal was to juxtapose Donkey Kong as seen in Donkey Kong Country versus his newest appearance. Andreas wrote and performed the lyrics (alongside Donkey Kong 64 lead programmer Chris Sutherland) while Kirkhope wrote the tune. The chorus includes Rare staffers such as Gregg Mayles, Steve Mayles, Ed Bryan, and Chris Peil. Each character's verse features instrumentals reflecting the instruments the characters possess.
Kirkhope said that the DK Rap was not supposed to be a "serious rap" but rather a joke. Consumer and critical reaction was generally negative, having interpreted the song as being serious. Kirkhope felt surprised that Nintendo objected to the use of the word "hell" and attributed it to the Bible Belt in the United States. The "DK Rap" was not localized for the Japanese release of Donkey Kong 64, nor was it subtitled. Video game designer Shigesato Itoi provided a Japanese translation of the "DK Rap" on his personal website.
The "DK Rap" was remixed in Super Smash Bros. Melee. Composer Hirokazu Ando was to be in charge of composition, but due to technical issues, director Masahiro Sakurai and composer Shogo Sakai had to assist. To overcome these issues, they played the background audio and recorded the rap over it. Because the remixed rap is faster, it was not possible for them to record it live. Some characters in the theme have higher tempos than others. While the DJ (James W. Norwood Jr.) practiced, they recorded him, using what good came out of it and mixing it together. The rap took two days to record.
The "DK Rap" is the first song in the 1999 Donkey Kong 64 Original Soundtrack, where it was named "Da Banana Bunch". Around the release of Donkey Kong 64, Nintendo of America hosted a promotion called the "DK Rap Attack Contest" where people could submit a recording of themselves singing their own version of the "DK Rap". The winner would receive a Donkey Kong 64/Nintendo 64 console bundle, a trip to Nintendo of America's headquarters in Redmond, Washington, and their video would be hosted on the official Donkey Kong 64 website. The song was made available for download on Nintendo's website for use with this promotion.
A new version of the "DK Rap" was featured in the 2001 GameCube Nintendo crossover fighting game Super Smash Bros. Melee, performed by James W. Norwood Jr. who provided different voices for every verse. The original theme features the word "hell", which was changed to "heck" for the Melee release. This version was later reused in subsequent Super Smash Bros. games, and was featured as a song in the 2003 GameCube music game Donkey Konga. It was also released on the album Donkey Konga: The Hottest Hits. In English-language versions of Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Donkey Kong's crowd cheer is a variant of the "DK Rap". As part of a Kickstarter stretch goal, Grant Kirkhope wrote a spiritual successor to the "DK Rap", titled the "Yooka-Laylee Rap", for Yooka-Laylee.
In the second chapter of Deltarune, a role-playing video game by Toby Fox, the outro lyrics of the "DK Rap" are referenced when inspecting a basket of fruit in a convenience store owned by Sans.[citation needed]
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DK Rap AI simulator
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DK Rap
The "DK Rap" is the introductory theme music for the 1999 Nintendo 64 video game Donkey Kong 64. Its lyrics were written by Rare designer George Andreas, who performed the vocals for the song, and musician Grant Kirkhope, who composed the melody. Rare staffers contributed vocals to the chorus. Its lyrics describe the five playable characters in the game, with Kirkhope's goal to juxtapose the previous iteration of Donkey Kong from Donkey Kong Country against the new one.
The "DK Rap" is the first song in the 1999 Donkey Kong 64 Original Soundtrack, where it was named "Da Banana Bunch". Despite Grant Kirkhope not intending to make a serious rap, the "DK Rap" has received generally negative reception and has been awarded "dubious awards" for its quality. The song has since been remixed in other Nintendo games.
The lyrics to the "DK Rap" describe the five playable characters in Donkey Kong 64, one per verse: Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, Tiny Kong, Lanky Kong, and Chunky Kong. The rap was conceived by Donkey Kong 64 designer George Andreas and composed by Grant Kirkhope. Andreas took inspiration from the band Run-DMC. Kirkhope's goal was to juxtapose Donkey Kong as seen in Donkey Kong Country versus his newest appearance. Andreas wrote and performed the lyrics (alongside Donkey Kong 64 lead programmer Chris Sutherland) while Kirkhope wrote the tune. The chorus includes Rare staffers such as Gregg Mayles, Steve Mayles, Ed Bryan, and Chris Peil. Each character's verse features instrumentals reflecting the instruments the characters possess.
Kirkhope said that the DK Rap was not supposed to be a "serious rap" but rather a joke. Consumer and critical reaction was generally negative, having interpreted the song as being serious. Kirkhope felt surprised that Nintendo objected to the use of the word "hell" and attributed it to the Bible Belt in the United States. The "DK Rap" was not localized for the Japanese release of Donkey Kong 64, nor was it subtitled. Video game designer Shigesato Itoi provided a Japanese translation of the "DK Rap" on his personal website.
The "DK Rap" was remixed in Super Smash Bros. Melee. Composer Hirokazu Ando was to be in charge of composition, but due to technical issues, director Masahiro Sakurai and composer Shogo Sakai had to assist. To overcome these issues, they played the background audio and recorded the rap over it. Because the remixed rap is faster, it was not possible for them to record it live. Some characters in the theme have higher tempos than others. While the DJ (James W. Norwood Jr.) practiced, they recorded him, using what good came out of it and mixing it together. The rap took two days to record.
The "DK Rap" is the first song in the 1999 Donkey Kong 64 Original Soundtrack, where it was named "Da Banana Bunch". Around the release of Donkey Kong 64, Nintendo of America hosted a promotion called the "DK Rap Attack Contest" where people could submit a recording of themselves singing their own version of the "DK Rap". The winner would receive a Donkey Kong 64/Nintendo 64 console bundle, a trip to Nintendo of America's headquarters in Redmond, Washington, and their video would be hosted on the official Donkey Kong 64 website. The song was made available for download on Nintendo's website for use with this promotion.
A new version of the "DK Rap" was featured in the 2001 GameCube Nintendo crossover fighting game Super Smash Bros. Melee, performed by James W. Norwood Jr. who provided different voices for every verse. The original theme features the word "hell", which was changed to "heck" for the Melee release. This version was later reused in subsequent Super Smash Bros. games, and was featured as a song in the 2003 GameCube music game Donkey Konga. It was also released on the album Donkey Konga: The Hottest Hits. In English-language versions of Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Donkey Kong's crowd cheer is a variant of the "DK Rap". As part of a Kickstarter stretch goal, Grant Kirkhope wrote a spiritual successor to the "DK Rap", titled the "Yooka-Laylee Rap", for Yooka-Laylee.
In the second chapter of Deltarune, a role-playing video game by Toby Fox, the outro lyrics of the "DK Rap" are referenced when inspecting a basket of fruit in a convenience store owned by Sans.[citation needed]