Bravo's recently been buzzed about because of his upcoming follow up to the “Grey Area” called “Standing Ovation.” Well, the wait is over. It's here! "Standing Ovation" dropped today and you can download it for free online.

…Well, give him a ‘Standing Ovation’

By FELICIA C. HANEY

Anyone who’s familiar with the local rap scene knows about one of the greatest 10-man collectives to come out of the city. They made noise around Cleveland and even New York landing on the pages of Source magazine’s “Unsigned Hyped.” I’m referring to none other than the G.I. Joez. But we also know that one box is too small to hold so many talents and personalities so like most good groups… they split.

While most moved on to leave rap alone altogether, the people still wanted more. So, one wordsmith in particular chose to perform an encore presentation on a solo mission for which he now is receiving a “Standing Ovation” – the title of his debut album set for release Tuesday, Sept. 25.  William Abram, better known to his friends as Bill and the rap world as Bravo, has carried the torch to blaze many stages from Cleveland to L.A. and back handling bars in Olympic gold style fashion. And if you’re one of few who’s still in the dark and doesn’t know that Cleveland harbors one of the best lyrical emcees in its clutches, here’s some background info to get you up to speed…

Bravo, a Cleveland native, has been making steady strides over the past few years. He attained some notoriety in 2009 when hometown DJ, Steph Floss, tapped him to do a Cleveland rendition of Jay Z’s “Empire State of Mind.” The remix was immediately put into rotation by Radio One Cleveland’s Z107.9 radio program director and legend Colby Colb. The song was also used as the Cleveland Cavaliers’ home game warm-up routine with a version featuring local hero and fellow rapper Machine Gun Kelly. Through that came the opportunities to perform at many monumental shows such as 107.9’s summer jam with Rick Ross and the inaugural Ohio Homecoming, taking stage right before Kid Cudi for a crowd of 10,000-plus fans. With a few critically acclaimed mixtapes under his belt, he released his first full length project titled “Grey Area” in June 2010 with Cleveland’s own DJ E-V and livemixtapes.com. Heavily regarded as one of the best lyricists in the Midwest, he and partner Mac Saxon – together forming Yours Truly Music – proved their production skills as well, crafting all but three of the 16 tracks on the mixtape.  Continuing the grind through 2011-12, Bravo has been featured on numerous artists’ projects (local and national) and quietly released a mixtape in 2011 – “Sunday Service” with music site headnodz.fm. He also scored production credits on “RockCity (Planet V.I.)” and Don Cannon’s “No Days Off.”

He’s recently been buzzed about because of his upcoming follow up to “Grey Area” called “Standing Ovation.” Having leaked a couple songs from the sophomore offering, “We On” produced by Chicago native Tony Baines featuring BJ the Chicago Kid has been featured on Z107.9’s “New 10 at 10” for several weeks.  The song has been posted on countless blogs and websites, increasing the anticipation for what’s to come.

In a time where following “the formula” seems to be the popular thing to do, Bravo remains true to self and his artistry by pushing the envelope and not being afraid to explore musical boundaries. With so many new names in hip hop, Bravo is definitely being held as a “Need to Know” artist. This past Thursday, Sept. 20, fans got acquainted with Bravo and his music during a live performance at Nova Bar & Grill – the Warehouse District’s newest, hippest hotspot located at 1313 W. 6th St. The event was free of charge and open to the public. If you missed it it's not too late to download “Standing Ovation” today by visiting Mynameisbravo.com  Look for CP2’s review coming soon.