The song was recorded by Gorillaz and D12 ( sans Eminem ) in Damon Albarn 's personal studio in West London . The track came about after the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York City , leaving the band stranded in England ; Damon Albarn invited the band to his studio while they were there and played them an early demo of the track . Albarn had always wanted to experiment with Middle-Eastern music , and felt that this song would be perfect . D12 added additional production to the song , before laying down their verses . Terry Hall appears on the song as a vocal harmony with Albarn for the song 's chorus . Albarn and Hall had previously spoken about collaborating together , however when Hall revealed that he had been taking singing lessons from a Middle-Eastern singer , it inspired Albarn to take the song in a different direction
9/11 terrorist attacks in New York City
September 11 attacks
911 (Gorillaz and D12 song)