Possible Jay Z, Daft Punk collaboration leaks

Daft Punk, at the Grammys in January, may have done a track with Jay Z. Or maybe not.

By Gerrick D. Kennedy

March 11, 2014 12:24 PM PT

Ever wonder what Daft Punk and Jay Z would sound like together on one track?

Well, you’re in luck. Maybe.

“Computerized,” a supposedly unreleased collaboration between the robotic French duo and Beyoncé’s husband, mysteriously hit the Web on Monday. But everything we’ve been able to dig up about the track so far appears suspect.

The song first popped up on a Kanye West fan forum with the uploader commenting that West co-produced the track, which would make sense considering that his Daft Punk-sampling 2007 smash “Stronger” turned hip-hop lovers onto the electronic savants. Could the rapper/self-proclaimed genius have persuaded his pal to get some cool kid cred by working with the duo? It’s possible.

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The bigger question, though, is the origins of “Computerized.” A quick listen instantly proves it predates both artists’ last releases.

West had zero involvement in Jay’s last album, “Magna Carta Holy Grail,” and though this song’s theme of a technology-dependent relationship would mesh nicely with Daft Punk’s “Random Access Memories,” Jay’s somewhat ice cold delivery would’ve taken away from the intimacy collaborators like Pharrell and Paul Williams brought to the Grammy-winning album.

And then there are the lyrics. Jay sounds rather silly here, offering uninspired lines like “I got an iTouch but I can’t feel” and referencing the BlackBerry -- and we all know he’s using his Samsung Galaxy to send kissy-face emojis to Bey. Phoned-in lyrics aside, it’s a cohesive Jay vocal and one that isn’t easily recognizable.

So, is this the work of a fan who just also happens to be a masterful producer? Pitchfork wrote that it had confirmed the authenticity of the track, but said that West had no involvement in it.

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Just when the confusion seemed to be settled, the folks over at Noisey uncovered what could be a smoking gun. The keyboard line that anchors the song is taken from a track off their score to “Tron: Legacy” (“The Son of Flynn,” to be exact). And seeing as how the vocodor chorus could have been sung by anyone, it seems like we’re back to square one.

But the question of what Jay Z would sound like on a Daft Punk track has more of an answer today than it did a week ago. We’ll see if either party actually had anything to do with it.

Listen to “Computerized” below and see what you think.