Despite rumors, <em>X Factor</em>'s rapping teen Astro says he isn't signed to Jay-Z's Roc Nation.

"I don't have a check or a contract, so as far as I know, I'm not signed," the 15-year-old rhymer told MTV News on Monday (December 5).

Last week, the rap prodigy from Brownsville, Brooklyn, was voted off the show and failed to make it into the final five. Immediately following his elimination, however, rumors sparked that Jay-Z had signed L.A. Reid's Astronomical Kid to Roc Nation.

But Astro asserts he has no ties to the label. "I have never met anyone from Roc Nation," he said. "I'd love to, but I'm not signed right now to anyone. 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."

When voted off, Astro, who had previously been sentimental about being in the final two, took his elimination in stride. “Hey, man, it’s for the better,” Astro told the show’s host Steve Jones after being cut. “The only reason I’m mad is ’cause I don’t get to see my girl that lives in Cali, but I will be back. … I love my time. I’ve gained a lot of fans.”

Now that he is off the show, the rap's wunderkind is looking forward to getting back into the studio and eventually signing a deal. "I just want to be in a place where I'm comfortable 100 percent," he told MTV about his ideal deal. "I just want to be able to release my music, do my movies, [and] everything is fair. "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."—Gina Montana

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