'X Factor' Judge Simon Cowell 'Pretty Cool' To Astro

'Simon knows what he's talking about,' former contestant tells MTV News.
By Rob Markman

Astro
Photo: MTV News

In a rare moment of self-examination, the typically unwavering Simon Cowell admitted he was wrong.

When hip-hop whiz kid Astro refused to perform for his life after being placed in the bottom two during the November 17 episode of "X Factor," Cowell tore into the 15-year-old MC. But Astro, who was eventually eliminated from the competition weeks later, isn't holding any grudges. Actually, he thinks Simon — who later admitted he felt "a bit" bad for Astro — is a pretty cool guy overall.

"Simon knows what he's talking about. Everybody has different opinions, so I'm not always 100 percent agreeing with Simon, but it is what it is," he told MTV News on Monday before giving the reality-show judge his props. "I don't think he's a jerk like they portray him on TV; he's actually pretty cool."

Throughout his run on "X Factor," the Brooklyn rapper was criticized for his confident and at-times cocky attitude. Still, he isn't too concerned with what others think. "Everybody has different opinions," he said. "You can't really control what this person thinks of your performance or what that person thinks."

A clear standout in the competition, Astro did hit bumps in the road. During the November 17 elimination show, after Cowell came down on the Astronomical Kid, things got tense. "I gotta say, on the night, I was really annoyed, and not for anything else other than for him," Cowell told MTV News. "And then I watched it back that night, and then I felt sorry for him."

Astro did live to see another day but was eventually eliminated on the November 30 show. Now, the teenage MC is looking forward to completing his mixtape and hopefully signing a deal eventually.

"I just want to be in a place where I'm comfortable 100 percent. I just want to be able to release my music, do my movies [and] everything is fair," he said of his dream deal. "I just want to be able to have fun doing it. I don't want music to be a job for me; I want it to be something I'm doing for fun. As long it's not a job, then you're straight."

Will you follow Astro's post-"X Factor" career? Let us know in the comments!

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1675483/x-factor-simon-cowell-astro.jhtml

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