The Haze

"The Haze" is the second single from the British Rapper 8-BIT. Released on the 27 February 2012, the single features newcomer Coral Harris, who had previously only released a download single. It charted at #6, becoming 8-Bit's first top ten single.

Background
Upon the promotion for Harris' promotional single "Hard Shoulder", the media put a lot of emphasis on the relationship between Coral and 8-BIT. There were rumours the pair were dating, that they were working together and they hated one another. In January 2012, 8-BIT revealed that he had a lot of respect for Coral as there was nobody else in the market like her, and that he had been dying to work with her. A 15 second sample of the song leaked on January 17.

Release and reception
The single first premiered on January 31, 2012. It recieved strong compliments from critics and fans, with many stating the fact that 8-Bit and Coral's vocals compliment one another perfectly.

Music video
The camera fades in to show 8-Bit, standing in the living room of a house. The television is off, there is an air of stillness, of finality, as he faces away from the camera. He's all alone, dressed in a ratty wifebeater and jeans as he stares out of a bay window to a cold, raining street. The shot cuts to Coral Harris, who is walking in the rain, a coat and scarf wrapped tightly around her. A close-up on her face shows evidence she's been crying, but the look held on her face is one of determination, of defiance, of strength.

As 8-Bit begins to rap, the camera changes to a soft, tinted flashback, showing the pair in happier times, laughing and smiling in various scenarios. First, a pub scene, where the pair are part of a bigger group of friends, cosied up close together on a sofa. Next, in a takeaway, Coral pulls the old "look over there" trick, pointing at a wall and making 8-Bit turn around, before stealing a chip from the newspaper 8-Bit holds. He does, of course, catch her in the act.

As the rap turns to singing, the shot returns to 8-Bit in the house. He is still looking out of the window, the camera moving around him to show him in profile. With the line "So now I ask myself why, all the black clouds filled our sky", the camera moves as though we are seeing through 8-Bit's eyes, gazing out the window as rain pelts down onto the cars in the street. he shot cuts to Coral outside, soaked to the bone, dashing towards a bus which seems to be just about to leave the stop. She just about makes it, paying her money and hurrying to sit down in the front seat. The bus is deserted, and as she gets herself comfortable, she sighs.

Coral wipes the hair back from her face and begins to rap her response, staring out the bus window at the rain-soaked streets. Her tone is one of resignation, one of having had enough, with just a hint of aggression. This is a woman whose decision is made. As we move to the chorus, the shot becomes a splitscreen, with both 8-Bit and Coral Harris staring out of their windows, framed as if the pair are looking and singing to one another. As the chorus comes to an end, 8-Bit moves away from the window to flop down on his sofa, his body language entirely dejected.

As Coral begins to rap, we move to a second flashback couplet. In the first part, the pair are drunkenly leaving a club together, both clinging to the other, he in an unbuttoned shirt, she in a short skirt and boob tube. Both are unable to stand up on their own, giggling like a pair of school kids as they stumble along the road. In the second, they are on a boat, apparantly recreating the iconic "I'm flying" pose from "Titanic", because that's something people in love do, I guess.

Returning to reality, we see the bus pulling up, and Coral Harris stepping off, continuing to rap as she walks along the street. In the time of her journey, the rain and wind have eased off a little to an ignorable drizzle, rather than vicious torrents of rain. Coral takes out a key, letting herself into a block of flats. The stairwell is grey concrete, unglamorous, drab and depressing. She climbs a flight of stairs, having dried a little from earlier- as she raps, there is a twinge of sadness in her otherwise firm words. oral reaches her door and lets herself into a small apartment, removing her sodden coat as she switches the light on and shuts the door. She heads straight to her bedroom, throwing her keys onto her bed before turning to a dresser with a mirror at the back. The mirror has pictures of the couple together taped to it- she ignores these as she looks at herself, again scraping her hair back as she looks at the smeared makeup caused by the rain and her tears. Again she sighs. For a moment, Coral just sits, looking at herself in the mirror, singing as she reassures her reflection that she's made the right decision.

In his own room, 8-Bit is now sat on his sofa, a lifeless puppet of a man as he raps his response to nobody. He can't believe what's happened, he feels as if his whole world has been ripped away from him- and he knows he's at fault. 8-Bit continues to rap, but it's clear his emotions are beginning to get the best of him- his voice breaks slightly as he reaches the end of the second line, bringing his hand to his eyes as it does.

The camera shows Coral's dresser, although Harris herself is only shown in the reflection, as she has stood up and is walking around the room. The angle of the shot is such that Coral moves in and out of sight, removing her drenched articles of clothing, and replacing them instead with a dressing gown as she sings. Although her figure is shown in passing, there is no graphic nudity.

As the track moves to the outro, the shot fades between the two scenes. Coral finishes moving around, and sits back at the dresser, her hair tied up and a dressing gown covering her body. Her makeup has been cleaned off- she looks cleansed and natural as she looks into the mirror. On the other side of the shot, 8-Bit has his head in his hands, openly weeping by himself.

The final line of the song, sung as a duet, sees Coral singing into her mirror, and 8-Bit momentarily lifting his head from his hands to look up one more time. Following the line, the video fades to black.

Track listing

 * CD1
 * 1) "The Haze"
 * 2) "The Haze" (Blurred Vision Remix)
 * 3) "The Haze" (Instrumental Edit)
 * 4) "13/2" (8-Bit feat. Coral Harris)

Performances

 * In New Music We Trust Concert

Chart performance
The track was released February 27, 2012. It charted at #6 with sales of 49,094 - easily becoming 8-Bit's most successful single (as his current peak was #12). The song was also Coral's first appearance on the official charts.

The track debuted at #30 on Airplay on the chart dated February 18, 2012 and rose to #20 the next. It has peaked at #18. One week before it's official release, the track debuted at #7 on the download chart before peaking at #3.

Chart Run
TOTAL: 243,370
 * Week 1: #6 - 49,094
 * Week 2: #8 - 48,069
 * Week 3: #17 - 17,949
 * Week 4: #21 - 13,817
 * Week 5: #22 - 12,716
 * Week 6: #31 - 6,644
 * Week 7: #25 - 9,890
 * Week 8: #26 - 9,102
 * Week 9: #40 - 3,909
 * Week 10: #22 - 12,245
 * Week 11: #21 - 12,889
 * Week 12: #16 - 19,751
 * Week 13: #31 - 8,756
 * Week 14: #29 - 9,869
 * Week 15: #31 - 8,870