Gawvi, an artist and producer in the Christian hip-hop community, has been dropped by his label, Reach Records. He was also removed from the label’s upcoming tour in light of what has been a developing scandal involving sexual misconduct. Gawvi has been accused of sending unsolicited sexually explicit photos to multiple women while married.
Several credible sources have spoken up regarding this developing story which was followed by an official direct statement from Reach Records Monday afternoon:
“Due to behavior that is inconsistent with our core values, we have ended our professional relationship with GAWVI,” Reach Records said in their statement released on social media. “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.”
(See the full statement from Reach Records below.)
This news was released only 5 days after Reach Records announced their upcoming tour featuring the full Reach roster. The tour will still continue in March and April as planned with the the artists currently remaining on the label – Lecrae, Andy Mineo, Trip Lee, Tedashii, 1KPhew, Wande, WHATUPRG and Hulvey.
Gawvi announced he was getting divorced on his Instagram account Saturday, saying he and his wife had separated back in 2020. He also included in his statement “There is no scandal to gossip about.” This statement released floodgates of backlash from multiple women including reputable women within the CHH community such as Mogul business owner Butta P and well known Multi-hyphenate and visual artist Cataphant. Cataphant has been known to never shy down from supporting women and bringing light to unjust practices among them within the CHH world. In 2017, she took a bold stand to speak up against sexism within CHH which fueled the CHH sexism conversation on Twitter. Cataphant is also the wife of CHH artist Wordsplayed who has stood by her as she made her claims.
Both women among others shared posted that hinted details of the situation at hand. Click on the tweet below to view the post from Cataphant that created the thread that followed. Their statements were followed by the official announcement from Reach Records breaking all business ties with Gawvi.
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.
Years ago I made album artwork for @gawvi. For my next project I’m going to make a collage of all the unasked for dick pics he sent to women while he was still married.
When another user admonished the designer that “dragging people in public is not scriptural,” and that any admonishment of Gawvi should have been kept to church circles, Cataphant responded, “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.” Cataphant also had exchanges on Twitter with other users who claimed to have had or know of similar incidents involving the rapper.
In all honesty I felt guilty for not coming out sooner. There’s a lot that comes with speaking up. The people who needed to hear & see it for themselves did.
The website Rapzilla posted a detailed story that originally included a series of TikTok videos from Gawvi’s estranged wife, Brianna Azucena, that the article said “seem to allude to infidelity, trauma, and healing,” but the TikTok account was made private after the story was posted.
Gawvi could not be reached for comment. The artist’s Twitter account has been deleted, and his Instagram page now includes no material newer than early December.
Reach Record’s statement concluded well stating, “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.”
Lecrae, Gawvi’s most famous and frequently collaborator, has tweeted just once since the news broke of his labelmate being dropped — to quote scripture: “Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy. Prov 28:13,” he tweeted.
Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy. Prov 28:13
Gawvi, 33, has won or been nominated for several Dove Awards, gospel’s highest honor. He was signed to Reach that same year and released four full-length solo albums, the latest of which was 2021’s all-Spanish-language “Noche Juvenil,” along with three EPs. His peak to date on the Billboard Hot Christian Songs chart was the No. 25-charting “Fight for Me,” featuring Lecrae, in 2018; the song won a Dove in the rap/hip-hop category the following year. Two of his releases have made the top 10 on Billboard’s Christian albums chart.
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Kierra Sheard-Kelly (35) is expecting her first baby with 32 year old husband Jordan Kelly! This celebration is especially exciting for the couple because it comes after a series of miscarriages.
“I am so excited and blessed to have this opportunity to carry, my prayer, and watch our baby grow,” says the singer. “I’m most excited about raising a game changer, loving someone so deep, and having that same impact my mother had on me. I think I’ll be raising one of my best friends!”
The joyful news comes after the singer experienced two miscarriages that she says “took me near death’s doors.
“God still showed me that He’s in charge, and to keep believing. I’ve been fearful and have worried, but God has sent me constant reminders and ways of affirmation. My husband’s faith and declarations have stood in place of my lack many times,” she adds.
“He has encouraged me to know that I’m still loved, had we had this moment or not. Getting on one accord helps create our love child, and is growing us closer,” she continues. “I’ve downloaded faith-based books, prayed every morning over my womb and baby, and surrounded myself with a very supportive and prayerful community.”
“As a result, we are here seeing our prayers answered. I’ve felt the presence of God in my womb and it’s been one of the most promising moments I’ve had in my life,” adds Sheard-Kelly.
Sheard-Kelly and Kelly tied the knot in December 2020. The pair celebrated their second anniversary in December, with Sheard-Kelly posting several photos to her Instagram to mark the occasion.
“Happy Anniversary king @mrjordankelly! I’ve learned so much with you,” she wrote “I’m honored that the Lord has blessed me to be your companion help-meet, lover, friend, homie, and wife.”
On Valentine’s Day, Sheard-Kelly posted a sweet tribute to her husband. “Mr. Kelly, wit’yo fiiiine self, I love you so much.” She went on to reflect on their marriage, ending with “Thank you for loving me like no other man has. You’ve restored me in so many ways and I’m excited to see what we’ll grow into.”
Sheard-Kelly’s new book, The Vibes You Feel, and her new album, All Yours, are both available now.
In March we reported that after a 2 year absence from ministry, embattled former New York Pastor Carl Lentz had joined Transformation Church as a strategist, according to the church’s executive pastor. Recently, Carl dropped an announcement on social media confirming that although he is working with Transformation Church, he had not returned to ministry. He also responds to the recent news of a coming Documentary.
In his statement, he shares the following about his ministry status:
“… even though I’m at an amazing church that loves and supports us, I’m no longer in ministry. I’m not preaching, not overseeing people, my role is to help give perspective and insight where I can. I can also say that what gives me joy and hope is knowing that what I have been through, what I have made in the past can help so many others. I can do that in so many different ways, inside and outside the church.
Carl Lentz and his family have all gone through major scrutiny after falling to adultery within his marriage. Since then, he and his wife have reconciled. In his recent post, he speaks more about his failures, his repentance and his committment to continue to grow with his family while not focusing on a ministry role.
Lentz also addresses a coming documentary. Desiring to have his statement released prior to the documentary, he released a statement on social media. You can read the full statement in the instagram post below:
Our thoughts and prayers continue to go out to all those involved in this situation. While there is a lot that many of us are not knowledgable of with this story, what we know for sure is that there is power in prayer. Our first prayer and hope is that God will continue to restore everyone involved as they continue to move forward in life as a family.
Lore’l of The Morning Hustle recently had a moment with Jordan at the movie premiere of his latest project, Creed III in Atlanta. During the start of the interview, she reminded him that they attended high school together in Newark, New Jersey. She introduces him to the camera saying, “And you know we know each other. We go way back, all the way back to Chad Science in Newark.”
JORDAN LOOKS HER STRAIGHT IN THE EYES WITH A SMILE AND SAID, “I WAS THE CORNY KID, RIGHT?”
Lore’l, likely uncomfortable responded with a laugh while quickly defending herself with another smile saying “I did not say that! I was misquoted, for sure.”
But Jordan didn’t let up and he briefly reminded her that the “corny kid” statement had been burned into his memory. There was still good energy present showing that he clearly had forgiven her, but he made it known he didn’t forget.
The interviewer briefly stayed in defense mode replying, “I said we used to make fun of the name.” She turns to the camera and says, “But yeah, he is obviously killing things out here.”
She quickly keeps the interview moving while remaining positive and continued to speak to Jordan about directing the latest movie and even brings up the expected union of him and Will Smithworking together in the future. As the interview is over, she seemingly admits to calling him corny when she says, “Well, you’re not corny anymore,” Jordan walked away with a slight smirk as he moved on to the next interview.
According to other news sources, Lore’l had previously stated that, as schoolmates, she and her friends would tease The Wire alum as he was pursuing his dream of becoming an actor.
Lore’l stated, “You know what’s so crazy? I went to school with Michael B. Jordan at a point in life. We went to Chad Science [Academy] together in Newark, and to be honest with you, we teased him all the damn time because his name was Michael Jordan. Let’s start there, and he was no Michael Jordan. And he also would come to school with a headshot. We lived in Newark; that’s the ’hood. We would make fun of him like, ‘What you gonna do with your stupid headshot!?’ And now look at him!”
The moral of this story is simple! But be careful who you bully!