Gabriel Alberto Azucena (born September 23, 1988), who goes by the stage name GAWVI (formerly G-Styles), is an American Christian hip hop artist and music producer, formerly for Reach Records. Born in the Bronx, New York, he has released three extended plays, five albums, and twenty-three singles including his songs; "In the Water" and "Late Nights."
GAWVI
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Gawvi in a photo similar to his album cover of Heathen
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Gabriel Alberto Azucena |
| Also known as | G-Styles |
| Born | (1988-09-23) September 23, 1988 (age 35) The Bronx, New York, U.S. |
| Origin | Broward County, Florida, U.S. |
| Genres |
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| Occupation(s) |
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| Instrument(s) | Vocals |
| Years active | 2008–Present |
His career commenced in 2008, doing production work for Lecrae and Trip Lee, who continue to be his most consistent collaborators. In early 2016, he was officially signed to Reach Records. In early 2022, Reach ended their professional relationship with Gawvi after a sexual misconduct scandal.
Gawvi was born Gabriel Alberto Azucena,[1]inThe Bronx, New York,[2][3][4] to a father from El Salvador and a mother from the Dominican Republic.[5] He was raised in Miami, Florida.
He was married to Brianna Azucena. In January 2022 Gawvi announced that he had separated with her in 2020.[6][7] Shortly after this announcement, the visual and musical artist Cataphant claimed on Twitter that he had allegedly sent unsolicited pictures of his genitalia to multiple women.[8][6] Reach Records subsequently ended their professional relationship with him.[6][7]
He started his music production career in 2008, most notably working with Lecrae and Trip Lee.[9][10][11] His career led to him acquiring a recording contract with Reach Records as both an artist and in-house record producer.[12] He won a GMA Dove Award at the 46th GMA Dove Awards in the category of Rap/Hip Hop Album of the Year, for his production work on AnomalybyLecrae.[13]
On July 29, 2016, Gawvi released his debut extended play Lost in Hue. Jesus Freak Hideout rated the E.P. (extended play) three out of five stars, claiming it to be a unique move made by Reach. Lost in Hue flew off the shelves, sitting at No. 1 on the iTunes top-selling dance albums chart. On September 9, 2016, Gawvi released his second extend play, Holding Hue, and was given a five-star rating by JFH's Liam Jackson, who said that "Free" featuring T-Jay was the only song that was "not that good.” On March 31, 2017, he released his debut studio album We Belong, to acclaim in the CCM (contemporary Christian music) community[14] and debuting at No. 19 in iTunes.[15] Gawvi received his second Dove Award in 2017 for his production on Trip Lee's album The Waiting Room.
Gawvi released his second album Panorama on October 17, 2018, featuring the song "Fight for Me" (with Lecrae),[16] which won Rap/Hip Hop song of the year at the 50th GMA Dove Awards.[17] On April 10, 2020, Gawvi released his third album, Heathen, which was nominated for Rap/Hip Hop album of the year at the 51st GMA Dove Awards.[18] On March 26, 2021, Gawvi released his fourth full album, Noche Juvenil, which featured all songs recorded in Spanish, featuring Spanish-speaking artists from the Christian hip hop scene.[19] On January 30, 2022, Reach Records ended their professional relationship with Gawvi.[7][8]
On October 9, 2022, Gawvi announced his next album Atmostfear. The album is currently scheduled for a 2023 release with the only known track being "Doors Down" with 1K Phew.
Gawvi released his fifth album "ATMOSTFEAR" on July 2, 2024 under the Alienz Alive label founded by Rodney "Darkchild" Jenkins.
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Chr. [20] |
US D/E. [21] |
US Gos. [22] |
US Ind. [23] | ||
| Dope Beats, Good News, Vol. 2 |
|
— | — | 31 | — |
| We Belong |
|
7 | 7 | — | 17 |
| Panorama |
|
16 | — | — | 44 |
| Heathen |
|
— | — | — | — |
| Noche Juvenil |
|
— | — | — | — |
| ATMOSTFEAR |
|
— | — | — | — |
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | |||||
| Note: Beginning in 2015, Billboard rendered most hip hop/rap albums ineligible for the Gospel charts.[24] | |||||
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Chr. [20] |
US D/E. [21] |
US Ind. [23] | ||
| Lost In Hue |
|
8 | 2 | 18 |
| Holding Hue |
|
11 | 4 | 42 |
| 954 |
|
— | — | — |
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Christ. [25] |
Christ. Airplay [26] | |||
| 2016 | "In the Water" | 48 | 30 | Lost in Hue |
| 2017 | "Closer" (featuring RobbieLee & Julissa Leilani) |
37 | 28 | We Belong |
| "God Speed" (featuring Andy Mineo & KB) |
43 | — | ||
| "Rock N Roll" (featuring ELHAE) |
34 | — | ||
| "Like We Belong" | — | 34 | ||
| "Diamonds" (featuring Jannine Weigel) |
— | — | Non-album singles | |
| "High Note" | — | — | ||
| "Moments" | — | — | 954 | |
| "Thrills" | — | — | ||
| "Bros" (featuring Madiel Lara) |
— | — | ||
| "Hit the Lotto" (featuring 1K Phew) |
— | — | ||
| 2018 | "Slingshot" | — | — | Panorama |
| "Fight For Me" (featuring Lecrae) |
25 | 35 | ||
| "Fashion Joe" (featuring KB) |
— | — | ||
| "Get Em" (featuring Aklesso, Rhomar Jessy & TROSSTHEGIANT) |
— | — | ||
| "With You" | — | 50 | ||
| 2019 | "Hope You Say" | — | — | Non-album single |
| 2020 | "Not Too Far" | — | — | Heathen |
| "Climate Change" (featuring Aklesso and Wordsplayed) |
— | — | ||
| 2021 | "Qué Pasó" | — | — | Noche Juvenil |
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||
| Year | Title | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | "P.Y.I.T.F." (Rhema Soul featuring Gawvi, Spzrkt, Rey King & Social Club) |
Dope Beats, Good News, Vol. 2 |
| 2015 | "Boogie Tonight" (Eximio featuring Gawvi & Ruslan) |
Non-album single |
| 2019 | "Glory" (WHATUPRG featuring Gawvi) |
Summer Nineteen |
| 2021 | "Zone" (Blanca featuring Gawvi) |
Renovada (EP) |
| Year | Title | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | "Glow in the Dark" (Social Club featuring Gawvi) |
Misfits (EP) |
| 2014 | "Social Club Is Not Dead" (Social Club featuring Gawvi) |
Misfits 2 |
| 2016 | "Against All Adz" (Wordsplayed featuring Gawvi) |
Clowntown |
| 2018 | "Angels" (116 featuring Gawvi) |
The Gift: A Christmas Compilation |
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | "Fight For Me | Rap/Hip Hop Recorded of the Year | Won |
| PANORAMA | Rap/Hip Hop Album of the Year | Nominated |