GZA and King Khan to Join Forces

King Khan is all about widening his horizons these days. After joining forces with best mates Black Lips and Mark "BBQ" Sultan to form the gospel-themed international supergroup, the Almighty Defenders, the Montreal native is now preparing to add hip-hop producer to the list.

According to Khan -- ringleader of the thumping, R&B-infused King Khan & BBQ Show and the psychedelic-soul ensemble King Khan and the Shrines -- things have snowballed since moonlighting as GZA's guitarist during the legendary Wu-Tang rapper's performance at this year's NXNE festival.

"GZA was really happy about the guitar-playing thing, so when I was at home on Garage Band I made some hip-hop songs to send him," the rowdy musician tells Spinner. "He flipped out [over the tracks] and wants me to be a part of his next record."

While rumours have been swirling about the possibility of a formal collaboration between the pair for sometime, Khan is finally ready to confirm that it looks like the union is going ahead. Don't expect The Shrines' eccentric frontman to pass himself off as the first Indian-Canadian member of Wu-Tang Clan just yet though. "The whole thing is really surreal," he says, clearly still trying to wrap his head around the amazing turn of events.

The union marks the second time that GZA has reached out to the garage rock community for musical input. Khan's rambunctious Almighty Defender bandmates, Black Lips, first performed along side the famed hip-hoper at SXSW this past March and subsequently recorded 'The Drop I Hold' with the urban pioneer.

As for what Khan has in store for his hip-hop producing debut, the garage rock troubadour remains tight-lipped. From the sounds of the feisty track he originally sent GZA -- a song Khan describes as "old-school Wu-Tang style with some real awesome soul samples" -- fans of both Khan and the iconic rapper won't be disappointed.

In the meantime, Khan also announced a mid-November release date for the "Doo-Wop-laced, anthemic garage rock" album 'Invisible Girl,' the first new King Khan & BBQ Show full-length in three years, as well as a 31-date fall tour beginning Oct. 17 in Portland, Ore.