So I have been watching the Donkey Kong Country cartoon (DID YOU KNOW IT’S ON AMAZON PRIME VIDEO???) and while I couldn’t put any of those classic songs on here given the rules I set on it being music from video games. I did have the next best thing, though! Still Donkey Kong, still lyrical…THE DK RAP!
So they’re finally here, performing for you
If you know the words, you can join in too
Put your hands together if you wanna clap
as we take you through this monkey rap
DK Rap by Grant Kirkhope
If you haven’t noticed by now, I’m the biggest fan of the Nintendo 64 era of games. Admittedly I didn’t play Donkey Kong 64 until a lot later, but I knew a lot about the DK Rap due to its being written by the amazing Grant Kirkhope, who has been my favorite composer for years (thanks to his amazing work on the Banjo-Kazooie series)
The DK Rap is incredibly clever. It’s an introduction to all of these new characters that weren’t introduced in previous games. Not only that, but by the time the song is over, you know enough about each character that you’re not as confused when you unlock them in-game. By then, you know a fair amount about that character!
The DK Rap has also had its share of internet infamy, where it’s been featured in various YouTube remixes and parodies. The one that stands out the most to me is probably the DK Rap 2018 – “Where are they now?” video from Brentalfloss:
Here are some other remixes, etc. just to show its internet longevity:
What are your thoughts on the DK Rap? Does it live rent-free in your brain like it does for me? Let’s talk about it in the comments or in Discord!
