DK Rap composer Grant Kirkhope has revealed he has made less than a dollar off the song's 1.5 million plays on TikTok.
The DK Rap is widely considered the most influential piece of music ever composed. This triumphant song about a group of five iconic simians transcended the Nintendo 64 game it was an intro to and made musical history. Without Lanky Kong, you probably wouldn't have had The Beatles debut about 40 years earlier.
At the very least – whether through meme remixes (see below), ironic enjoyment, or just appreciation for art – the DK Rap has become a staple of the series, arguably being more popular than Donkey Kong 64 itself with appearances in Super Smash Bros., The Super Mario Bros. Movie, and most recently, Donkey Kong Bananza. DK Rap composer Kirkhope has embraced the fandom around the song with a remake of the song for it's 25th anniversary, and by making the "Yooka-Laylee Rap" for the titular game.
Over on Twitter, Kirkhope comments on the song's enduring popularity, saying: "In other news the DK Rap had 1.5 million plays on Tik Tok." But there's a caveat: "I got paid 56 cents."
While the amount artists make off their music in the streaming era is a hot topic as of late, having the numbers laid out in front of you like that is somewhat wild. Kirkhope follows up the tweet, saying: "It shouldn't surprise me that most people don't know how music royalties work. Most composers don't either…"
Unfortunately, Kirkhope hasn't had too much luck with the DK Rap as of late, as famously the song's appearance in the Mario Movie didn't result in him getting a credit in the film, with a generic "Nintendo" credit shown. Kirkhope admitted last year: "I still haven't watched the movie yet. I've seen that bit with the rap. But I was so pissed I haven't watched it."
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