Rare’s Donkey Kong games hold a permanent place in gamers’ hearts for many reasons, but the soundtracks might be the most memorable thing they gave us. Yes, there’s the meme in music form known as the “DK Rap,” but even before that Rare was giving us absolute bangers. And the hypest of these has to be Donkey Kong Country’s “Funky’s Fugue.”
Even without clicking on that video, you can probably hear the “HI-YAH!” chant. Thinking about the track now, however, there are some things that seem odd about it. For one, it’s very upbeat for what is essentially a fast travel menu. It also doesn’t seem to mix quite as well with the rest of Donkey Kong Country’s music, almost as if it was composed by a different person. In fact, that’s exactly what happened.
When paired with footage of Killer Instinct, everything about the track’s composition clicks. The use of synths matches Killer Instinct’s style perfectly, and the purpose of the “HI-YAH!” is revealed to be building hype for this revolutionary fighting game.
Beanland is still working with Rare writing music for Sea Of Thieves. But he might never again reach the heights of “Funky’s Fugue,” a song so iconic it was included in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate’s soundtrack over 20 years after its initial release. Maybe he should include some hype bro chanting in his next Sea Of Thieves piece.
