News : Christian Hip-Hop Artist Gawvi Dropped by Reach Records After Allegations of Unsolicited Explicit Photos

Reach Records announced Monday (Jan. 31) that the label has dropped producer and Christian hip-hop artist GAWVI following allegations that he sent unsolicited explicit photos to women while he was married. He’s also been dropped from the label’s upcoming We Are Unashamed Tour.

“Due to behavior that is inconsistent with our core values, we have ended our professional relationship with GAWVI,” the label wrote in a statement. “This was a tough decision for us because of the level of complexity and because we invest in our artists not just for their talent, but also as brothers and sisters in Christ. This is something we have been processing for over a year and have wrestled with what would be the right way forward. New details that were provided made us realize today’s decision was necessary. We also want our actions to be a reflection of love, care, and concern for those who fail and those who are affected by our failures. Each of us needs God’s grace and we invite you to pray for the families and individuals whose lives are being impacted. This is not a chance to throw anybody away. We continue to hope for restoration to be the outcome.”

 

 

 

 

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Over the weekend, Gawvi revealed that his marriage to wife Brianna Azucena ended in 2020. “We did everything we could to make it work for years, but after seeking the support of friends, family and counseling, I came to an extremely hard decision to move forward in a direction that I felt would be healthiest,” he wrote in a since-deleted Instagram post that was shared by The Crew. “There is no scandal to gossip about, just 2 adults that made decisions that lead to this point. And if you know me, you know I hate divorce and I’m not here to promote it.”

Following his announcement, visual artist and designer Cataphant took to Twitter to defend her friend Azucena. “Years ago I made album artwork for @gawvi,” she tweeted on Saturday. “For my next project I’m going to make a collage of all the unasked for di– pics he sent to women while he was still married.”

The next day, Cataphant further clarified the situation surrounding Gawvi’s divorce and why she chose to speak out after he shared his statement. “It wasn’t a knee-jerk thoughtless reaction,” she wrote of her original tweet. “I have known about his actions for at least a year, maybe more. WE ALL DID. He wasn’t good at covering his tracks. Who did I find out all these things from? Everyone.

“Secondly, EVERYONE confronted him,” she continued. “I want to defend all my friends because I KNOW they tried and tried. When someone refuses accountability and is a text book narcissist, there is no ‘addressing in privately.'”

She concluded her string of tweets by writing, “I did this because I’m standing up for my friend who was incorrectly represented in that lying a– statement that painted a false picture of why Gawvi LEFT his wife for someone else. Divorce is whatever, sh– happens. But Gawvi, if you’re reading this.. f— you you f—ing liar.”

At the time of publication, Gawvi had deleted all posts on his Instagram page, including the statement announcing his divorce. He has yet to publicly comment on Cataphant’s allegations.

The We Are Unashamed Tour, kicking off March 17 in Austin, Texas, will move forward with Lecrae, Andy Mineo, Trip Lee, Tedashii, 1K Phew, Wande, WHATUPRG, and Hulvey