Tonight: Wiz Khalifa at Nectar, Freelance Whales at Neumos, The Globes with PWRFL Power

Wiz Khalifa, with Fashawn, Jasmine Solano, Logics. Nectar, 412 N. 36th St., 632-2020. 10 p.m. $15. If you need proof that the necessity of a major label deal is a thing of the past, look no further than the Pittsburg rapper Wiz Khalifa. After several delays releasing his debut, Khalifa--who picked up the nickname Wiz as a teenager and later added the Arabic word for "successor"--parted ways with Warner Bros. and released a slew of mixtapes glorifying the pursuit of money, women and blowing the biggest of trees. But while he's more than comfortable sticking to weed as the subject at hand (his latest internet release is titled Kush & OJ), his newer work also indicates a heightened charm and confidence. As always, his beats are a fine balance between artful samples and laid-back party joints. Wiz Khalifa may not be leaving it behind, but he's certainly emerging from his stoner rap pigeonhole. NICK FELDMAN

Also tonight:

I'll be in some basement on Capitol Hill at 9 p.m. to see The Globes play a show with that delightful troubadour Kazutaka Nomura, better known as PWRFL Power. Kids & Animals and Skeletons With Flesh On Them are also on the bill.

And New York's Freelance Whales will be at Neumos, opening for Swedish pop-rockers The Shout Out Louds. That show's at 8 p.m., $12, 21+. I loved Freelance Whales' debut record, Weathervanes, and Michael Alan Goldberg recently talked to the band about their beginning days as buskers on the Lower East Side - check it out here.