Pittsburgh rapper Wiz Khalifa is quickly becoming a independent powerhouse all on his own ... and many in the industry are recognizing his buzz and hard work.

Earlier this month, he turned down an offer by Drake to join Drake on the road for his "Lightdreams and Nightmares Tour" with the Clipse because he said he was focused on building his own brand ... and well, he has his own headlining tour, "Waken Baken", as well.

Recently, Wiz revealed to Vibe.com that he also turned down an offer to sign with Rick Ross' Mayback Music label this summer, which Ross put out there during a taping of MTV's RapFix live.

"When I woke up and went to Twitter, I saw a bunch of people talking about it and was like 'What the hell?' So I went on the blogs and saw his [video]," Wiz told the mag. "Then Ross ended up calling me [the same day] to say it himself."

Khalifa says he ended the conversation with Ross by respectfully declining. He had already inked a deal with Atlantic Records, but tells Vibe that he would've passed on Ross' offer even without a deal.

"I would've kept doing what I was doing till I found something huge [outside of Maybach Music]. I'm all about standing behind my own brand instead of putting myself up under somebody else's," he explains. "[Success] might take a little bit longer and take more work, but in the end it pays off because I can stand right up there with my peers and have respect."

This kid sure seems determined to become a star doesn't he?

His official still-untitled debut is due in 2011, and for now, he's currently touring off his monster mixtape, Kush & Orange Juice, which is out now.