Jungle Beat takes place on many different island kingdoms. But that doesn't mean that DK's friends can't assist him. And sure, the Kongs were in those games Robert mention, but most of them are third party games.
And this is proof that Nintendo doesn't respect DK:
http://www.n-sider.com/articleview.php?articleid=420This is an interview with the Jungle Beat creators
Q: Tell us about the characters.
Koizumi: All the characters outside of Donkey Kong and the banana are completely original. We don't really feel the past look of Donkey Kong was fresh enough for today. We really gave our new development team the chance to really create something unique and stylish. Do you know how hypocritical that makes Nintendo? The DKC characters has been around for barely 10 years. Most of the main Mario cast has been around for over 20 years. If the Kongs aren't fresh enough, then Mario ,and forgive me for what I say, is staler than a dead man in the summertime. Also, Peach, Luigi, and Bowser are stale too.
Also, Nintendo ruined DK's character. They tried to make him more like a gorilla. The ironic thing was he was more of the gorilla in Rare's hands.
When Rare handled DK: DK was a fun loving guy who never hurt anybody unless they done harm to him or his family. Also, DK and Mario were now pretty good friends. DK also had his own friends and family.
When Nintendo took him back: DK was fighting idiot. He beats up on guys for no appearant reason. If Nintendo said the kings were evil and he went to stop them, that would have been passable. Also, for some strange reason, Nintendo is trying to revive the fued between Mario and DK after many years (Mario Vs DK games) Also, why does DK fall in love with Pauline when he has Candy?
Now, I like Nintendo. But if they treat what Rareware did for them like crud, what would happen if other second party companies leave but their characters have to stay?