Unfortunately, a number of stunning allegations have come to light over this last weekend regarding producer and artist GAWVI. Reach Records, hot off the news of their upcoming Unashamed Tour with every artist on the roster, might have some reworking to do.
It started with GAWVI announcing his divorce on Instagram, and from there, the floodgates burst open. *UPDATE: the post has since been deleted. Here are screenshots.
*Note, the following information is what is being alleged and it is explicit. The allegations are strong, seemingly made by credible sources, and it’s important to remember that there were/are people hurt by what has happened and the backlash of this all. All allegations that can not be sourced to something credible have been left out. GAWVI has not made any statement himself yet. We have also sent messages to Reach Records to get a statement on what’s going on. They will respond soon. *UPDATE: below is Reach’s statement.
This is not a gossip or tear-down post, but we felt it was only right to keep our audience informed in a way that laid everything straight up and without commentary. If we can report the good, we can report the bad. We will also gladly update information as/if more comes out.*
Not too long after GAWVI posted that on Instagram, multi-talented artist Cataphant, who also happens to be the wife of Wordsplayed, dropped a rather large bomb of a tweet. She never shies away from standing up for women. You may remember the “CHHSEXISM” trend she started on Twitter a few years back. Not too long after that Reach signed Wande, GOM signed A.I. the Anomaly, and Danielle Apicella went to RMG.
*Linking out to tweets in case they are deleted. Also, editing only swear or lewd words.
Cataphant
“Years ago I made album artwork for @gawvi. For my next project I’m going to make a collage of all the unasked for d**k pics he sent to women while he was still married.” (see Tweet)
From there, as you can imagine, the tweet picked up a bit of virality. A subreddit picked up all the information in one place.
According to the Subreddit, a Twitter user tweeted, “[Gawvi’s] ‘circle’ should have done more” and “What’s being done here is not biblical & that’s the issue I have. Kingdom Culture must be upheld over worldly culture. We are ambassadors of the kingdom of God. We should never forget that.”
Cataphant tweeted back, “Do u think I’d be doing this if he actually listened to his circle? They did address it, he cut them all off. He’s got like 3 friends left.”
GAWVI’s circle had always been a tight-knit group of friends going back to his Rhema Soul days. He came up as a young talent discovered by Butta P and would frequently collab with Marty of Social Club Misfits. Eventually, GAWVI created his own crew of young artists to mentor, most of which were all recently Rapzilla Freshmen.
As of this writing, these close-knit artists, including the Reach roster, have been silent on the issue with the exception of Butta P who has been dropping hints for a few weeks. This is not accusing any of these friends, the artists, or Reach Records of saying or doing nothing. As Cataphant stated, they tried to fix this problem privately and through the proper channels. The issues at hand here could have been worked on internally for an extended period of time. They may make statements or speak about this publicly at some point, but as of now, nothing.
“I want to clarify a couple things about why I spoke out about Gawvi. It wasn’t a knee-jerk thoughtless reaction. 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. 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.” 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*t happens. But Gawvi, if you’re reading this.. f**k you you f**king liar.” (Read tweet)
Someone asked about Reach Records being silent on this and what it means for the upcoming tour. Cataphant had an answer for that too.
“I wouldn’t be quick to blame them, they’re good in my book.” (Read Tweet)
These tweets are concerning the tour & label: 1. “I don’t know for sure but it might be a matter of fulfilling legal contracts.” and 2. “I can’t speak for them except to say things are moving”
She also posted, “Gawvi is calling multiple ppl to try to get them to stop me but has my number.” (Tweet)
Brianna Azucena (Ex-wife)
If you’re reading this and thinking “well, this is only one person.” Here are some other sources including GAWVI’s wife, who posted a series of TikTok videos that seem to allude to infidelity, trauma, and healing. Some are from last year. *UPDATE: She has made her TikTok private.
@_beyondbri_ & that’s on healing and KNOWING YOUR WORTH so you don’t allow the same behavior EVA?? AGAIN?? #healingtiktok #HowIBathAndBodyWorks #fyp ♬ Follow me on ig _damnmarti – Tik Toker
@_beyondbri_ your abuse doesn’t define you. The way you own your story does. Take your voice and story back. YOU GOT THIS. #narcissistabuse #healingtiktok ♬ I Gotta Find Peace of Mind (Live) – Lauryn Hill
@_beyondbri_ Sis, she’s doing you a WHOLE FAVOR. #healing #heartbreak #selflove #cheater #traumabonding ♬ Lookmeinmyeyes – Iloveslowedmusic?
The videos go on and on and definitely, would suffice as the MOST credible source to this story. She’s been quietly sharing her trauma and posting about her healing journey for months. Keep her and the children affected by this in your prayers.
Butta P
Butta P: “Man oh man I’m on the verge of exposing this little boy. Had to cut the grass I found some snakes in the camp.” (Tweet) She also had several tweets, responses, or IG stories that appeared to be reacting to this situation.
As stated, keep all involved in this in your prayers. This is a messy situation and not a good reflection or representation of the Christian music community. However, if there is a platform that is leading you to follow, promote, and even invest yourself into artists, then they have a responsibility to let you know when things aren’t the way they should be. We will update as more information comes in. We hope more men stand up and act upon predators of women. So far it’s only the women speaking out which is why many don’t. Unfortunately, allegations were thrown around last year about other artists and more than likely will continue to be thrown around by more women in the space. It’s not okay.
To quote Andy Mineo in his song “Clarity”:
All I, all I want is clarity, clarity
‘Cause all of my heroes are frauds just like me, just like me
So let every man be a liar, let only God be truth
And all of your heroes are frauds just like you
