Tag Archives: astronomical

Exclusive: Astro Signs With ‘X Factor’ Mentor L.A. Reid

Teenage MC will be on today’s ‘RapFix Live’ at 4 p.m. on MTV.com to discuss his new deal with Epic Records. By Rob Markman Astro Photo: Getty Images Astro might not have taken home top honors on “X Factor,” but the 15-year-old Brooklyn MC scored a huge win nonetheless. MTV News has exclusively learned that the Astronomical Kid signed a deal with “X Factor” mentor L.A. Reid over at Epic Records. The young rap phenom will appear on today’s “RapFix Live” to formally announce the deal in detail. After the teenage rapper was sent home during the show’s December 1 episode, rumors began to swirl about where he would end up. Reports that ‘Stro would sign with Jay-Z’s Roc Nation hit the Web early, but in an interview with MTV News, the pint-size MC quickly shot that notion down. “I have never met anyone from Roc Nation. I’d love to, but I’m not signed right now to anyone,” he said during a December 5 interview. “Nobody ever hit me up about that — just go on the Internet and it’s up there. But I’m not signed, as far as I know.” Though Hov is one of his favorite rappers, the Brooklyn whiz kid wasn’t necessarily looking to sign based off star power alone. “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 told MTV News 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.” It seems that Reid has provided the youngster with everything he was looking for. No word yet on when Astro will drop his debut album, but then again, at 15 years old, he has all the time in the world. What do you think of Astro’s deal with Epic Records? Tell us in the comments! Catch Astro, Naughty by Nature and Khalil Kain on “RapFix Live” today at 4 p.m. ET on MTV.com, and be sure to join the Twitter conversation using the hashtag #RapFixLive. Send your questions for the artists @MTVRapFiX!

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Exclusive: Astro Signs With ‘X Factor’ Mentor L.A. Reid

‘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!

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‘X Factor’ Judge Simon Cowell ‘Pretty Cool’ To Astro

Marcos Esparza Bofill picture

Marcos Esparza Bofill moved to New York from his native Spain in 2006 to try his hand at day-trading. When he nearly went bust after a year, he moved back home. He failed as a day-trader and barely survived in New York on a beer budget, but Marcos Esparza Bofill has been hit with a $172 million tax bill by the IRS. “Who#39;s the IRS?” Esparza Bofill, a twentysomething Spanish émigré, asked a friend who alerted him to his astronomical back taxes. “He lost money while he was here. He couldn#39;

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Marcos Esparza Bofill picture