Christian hip-hop artist GAWVI is speaking out about his marital issues, finally admitting that he was involved in activities that go against the biblical standard of matrimony.
In January, GAWVI publicly shared that his marriage to wife Brianna Azucena had ended in 2020 after nearly six years.
‼️BREAKING‼️ #Gawvi reveals his marriage ended in 2020, “Sadly, today I am here to share that my marriage ended in 2020” pray for Gawvi and his ex-wife pic.twitter.com/jG2q1oNdfI
— The Crew as mentioned by Billboard (@TheCrewHHC) January 29, 2022
After he made the announcement, Reach Records dropped the artist over allegations that he sent inappropriate photos to women while he was still married to Azucena.
“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.”
GAWVI posted a public statement on Instagram Wednesday, saying that instead of leaning on God during those difficult times, he strayed elsewhere.
“A few years ago, my marriage began to fall apart,” GAWVI wrote. “Instead of leaning on God and facing the situation, I acted outside of the boundaries of my marriage. I began communicating and exchanging inappropriate photos with several women on social media.”
He stressed that all of his “conversations” were “between adults.”
GAWVI added, “Even though I never met any of these women in person, it was inexcusable and wrong. I regret these mistakes, I take full accountability, and I apologize to everyone I’ve hurt by my actions. Now as I continue to reflect and wrestle with the choices I’ve made, I accept that God may continue to use this period of my life to show me things that I have needed to learn, so I can become the man he has called me to be.”
The 33-year-old said he will strive to “work” on himself, “grow in faith” and “continue to be present” for his children.
Following her ex-husband’s post, Azucena shared a statement that GAWVI wasn’t completely honest in his public apology.
“I have kept my silence for years in order to protect my family and marriage,” Azucena said. “I have been focusing on my healing but I no longer want to sit back as the dishonesty continues. The lack of full ownership and true apology has been extremely hard to stomach.”
She continued, “I was in a marriage where I fought for it with every ounce of me. Was I perfect? Absolutely not. What was done in my marriage I did not deserve. This goes beyond explicit photos being sent all throughout our marriage. This is about infidelity, emotional abuse, and more.”
GAWVI was supposed to take part in the “We Are Unashamed Tour” with Lecrae, Andy Mineo, Trip Lee, Tedashii, 1K Phew, Wande, WHATUPRG and Hulvey.
Following his release from Reach Records, the label advised that he was no longer involved in the project.
“When women come to our concerts or interact with us we want them to be encouraged and blessed, not taken advantage of,” Lee told Relevant Magazine. “There’s absolutely no excuse for that, and it grieves me to think anyone has had a different experience.”
He added, “We want to raise the bar on how women are treated and valued in hip hop, not lower it. I think that’s one of the things we’ve been called to. And there’s no room for anything else.”
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