Three years after his appearance on X-Factor, Astro has grown as an artist and performer, but one thing has stayed the same: he is still not a fan of authority. His attitude on the TV competition was sometimes shocking (even to judge Simon Cowell) and may have even hurt his ratings, but today it’s working very well for him.
On the teen drama Red Band Society Astro portrays Dash, a rebellious teen living in a paediatric ward on account of his cystic fibrosis. Refusing to let his terminal illness stop him from living, Dash participates in a number of unadvisable activities, including smoking. Overall, he’s quite the handful, especially for nurses tasked with watching over him, such as Nurse Jackson (Octavia Spencer). But Astro can connect with Dash on a very basic level: “I’m one of those kids where I do what I want to do when I want to do it.” The young rapper pointed out that that’s what makes him and Dash so similar. He added, “He has cystic fibrosis. Tomorrow’s not promised. So he enjoys every moment of his life.”
Meanwhile, Astro is continuing to push his music career forward. His rap skills cannot be denied, even garnering attention from respected rappers like 50 cent. For Astro, it was important not to fall into the shadows after X-Factor.
“The thing with those shows is a lot of people leave those shows, and then you never hear from them again,” but he knew he wouldn’t let that happen to him. He noted that he had been working to build his career even before the show, and would continue to do so after it.
Photo: Fox
