GameboyJones is a familiar name in the niche-but-expansive nerdcore genre, which bridges the gap between geek culture and mainstream hip-hop.
The Kent-based artist, whose real name is Austin Jones, has amassed more than 200,000 followers on his GameboyJones YouTube channel for his popular tracks inspired by anime and video games.
Several of his songs have millions of TikTok plays and Spotify streams, including “Uraraka,” based on the character from the Japanese manga series “My Hero Academia.”
Lizzo even featured his song “Red Light Green Light,” inspired by the hit Netflix show “Squid Game,” in a TikTok video.
His music gained traction through viral moments online, and his audience grew significantly during the pandemic, cementing his presence in the nerdcore community.
“I tell people, ‘Being viral doesn’t mean anything. You have to be viral multiple times to actually be considered something,’” Jones said. “I finally found out, OK, I want to make stuff within like this, like, geeky sphere.”
Many nerdcore artists are independent, creating music on their own and thriving in online spaces and community-driven events like comic conventions.
Inspired by artists like Childish Gambino and Lupe Fiasco, Jones resonated with geeky or intellectual rap. But he never planned to pursue rapping seriously.
“People kept saying, ‘Maybe you should record something,’” he said. “Eventually … I got on the mike.”
From freestyling to widespread fame
Jones discovered his knack for freestyling through playful parodies of existing songs.
Encouraged by others, he eventually recorded his first track at age 20, leading to opportunities like competing in Team Backpack, a major rap competition in Los Angeles.
Professor Kuro
“A lot of people were like, ‘How long have you been rapping?’ I was like, ‘Like three months,’” he said. “And they’re like, ‘What? That doesn’t make sense!”
Jones has uploaded nearly 400 videos to his YouTube channel featuring original songs inspired by characters from his favorite anime, Naruto, YuYu Hakusho and Dragon Ball Z.
“I sat on my hands for, like, two years because I just wanted to find, like, an identity as an artist first before I actually tried doing something with it,” he said.
He said consistently uploading and getting creative with the stories he wants to tell about each character has resonated with their respective fanbases.
GameboyJones thrives on exploring unconventional ideas, from creating twerk songs inspired by anime characters to songs addressing deep themes like overworking.
Jones said he enjoys experimenting and injecting “swaggy” elements from hip-hop into geek culture.
“I like bending things a lot,” he said.
After pandemic lockdown restrictions were lifted, Jones’ online fans flocked to in-person fan conventions around the country, and that’s when his popularity really hit him.
“The first concert we did after everything kind of like opened up, we were like, ‘We’re going to do this meet and greet at our booth at the con. We’ll set up for an hour, probably won’t be anything crazy,” he said. “I was there for five hours. That’s when it became real.”
Despite his success, Jones stays approachable, often engaging directly with fans in person and online.
“I think I’m one of the artists inside of our sphere who actually puts himself out there as far as the personality goes, because a lot of people kind of slink back and they don’t show themselves,” he said. “I’m like, ‘Now I’m a zany dude. I might as well show that.’”
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Leveling up and building community
Since debuting his first songs online over five years ago, Jones has become a central figure in the nerdcore community.
He initiated collaborative projects like the Geek Cypher, a collaborative and freestyle-based rap session where multiple rappers took turns delivering their verses over the same beat.
Jones uploaded a video that included each rapper’s contribution, and it gained more than 600,000 views.
He said an online Pokémon rap challenge sparked the idea, and he saw how viral trends in various fandoms can connect people and raise awareness for more underground artists.
“It got to the point where we were all like, ‘This is dope. We should all start working together,’” he said. “And then it just became a very collaborative environment.”
“People live on their Reddits. People live on their Discords. They have their own pockets. We’re just going to find our pocket, and we’re going to be able to live there.”
Austin Jones
Jones said he’s seen nerdcore grow as a genre, just as niche interests like anime have grown in the U.S. in recent years without the need for mainstream validation. Even so, celebrities are taking note.
“The fact that we can have Megan Thee Stallion just come out and make TikToks and go, ‘I sampled Jujutsu Kaisen on this.’ The fact that you can wear that on your sleeve more and still kind of be accepted is kind of dope,” he said.
Jones said people find their community — and they often become big earners through their dedicated fans.
“People live on their Reddits. People live on their Discords. They have their own pockets. We’re just going to find our pocket, and we’re going to be able to live there,” he said.
These days, Jones is branching into gaming-focused music with his side project, Glitch Whisper, exploring indie games and horror themes.
He’s planning to keep living in Kent. The city’s affordability and diversity keep him rooted there, enabling him to travel and stay connected with friends and collaborators.
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