The Donkey Kong Rap, a song that has become indelibly linked with the Nintendo 64 era, was born not from a polished studio session, but from a series of impromptu recordings in a cramped, warm hallway. Chris Sutherland, a seasoned programmer at Rare who has contributed to titles like Battletoads, Banjo-Kazooie, and Viva Piñata, revealed the unconventional origins of the track.
Sutherland, who has amassed an extensive resume as a prolific voice actor within the games industry, including roles as the announcer in Killer Instinct and the voices of Banjo and Kazooie, found himself tapped for the DK Rap through a chance circumstance. According to Sutherland, there was no formal concept of dedicated voice actors at Rare during that period. Instead, developers were often called upon to provide sounds and voices as needed.
“It became the norm that you’d just be coding away and then you’d get a phone call and then it would be somebody up in audio going, ‘Oh, could you come up and do some noises?’ ‘Oh yeah, I’m free now, yeah, okay, I’ll just pop up, do it now,’ and it could be done in about 10 minutes, no more than half an hour often,” Sutherland explained. This casual approach extended to the DK Rap, a project that composer Grant Kirkhope and game director George Andreas never intended to be a major undertaking.
Andreas, who penned the lyrics and performed much of the rap, enlisted Sutherland's help. While Sutherland isn't entirely certain why he was chosen, he theorizes it may have been due to his habit of listening to rap music, including artists like Tupac and DJ Jazzy Jeff, during his evening work sessions. Andreas might have assumed a familiarity with the genre, approaching the recording with a casual “Well, can’t be that hard, can it?” attitude.
The recording environment itself was far from ideal. Instead of a dedicated booth, sessions took place in a corridor where blankets were used to dampen sound. Sutherland described the conditions as often becoming “so hot in there” due to the makeshift setup. The process was painstaking, with Kirkhope frequently pausing the recording to correct timing issues and rhythm.
“It felt like it took forever,” Sutherland recalled. “It became clear to me that I had no musical capability at that point, at all, I have no sense of rhythm or anything.” Despite the challenges, they eventually produced an “acceptable” result, with Kirkhope likely providing significant post-recording edits.
Sutherland's vocal contributions, though not extensive, are significant. He delivers the iconic opening line, “So they’re finally here, performing for you,” and joins in on other lines, while other Rare staff members contributed to the chorus. Sutherland confessed that his memory of the lyrics is hazy, a consequence of the rap never having made a strong personal impression on him due to its perceived nature as a “kind of a joke anyway.”
His involvement in other Donkey Kong 64 sound effects remains largely unremembered, including a potential voice role as King K. Rool, which he could only confirm after comparing pitched-down recordings to his own voice. He noted that credits often simply listed “support,” and he wasn't particularly concerned with documenting every minor contribution.
Despite its humble and somewhat chaotic origins, the DK Rap has achieved cult status. Sutherland now looks back on the experience with fondness, acknowledging the fun and the oddity of his role. He continues to lend his voice to characters, notably Yooka and Laylee in the original Yooka-Laylee, and participated in a spoof rap for that game. While no new rap projects are currently planned, Sutherland remains open to the possibility should demand arise.