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Hip hop artists are rare on the palmetto lined streets of Hilton Head and Bluffton. You’re more likely to find someone who can recite the discography of Alan Jackson before they can name one hip hop record.
Tyrone “Young Caliber” Simmons is trying to change that. Caliber grew up in the Bluffton area and graduated from Hilton Head Island High School. About six years ago, Caliber started a group called M Dash in the area, having regional success. When the group disbanded, Caliber went out on his own. In 2006, Caliber released his first mix tape, “The Heart of the Streets,” and started seeing a fan base grow.
“You really don’t know up until you put your music out there and someone else is criticizing it and people are giving you feedback if you are talented enough to do music,” he said.
Caliber’s biggest claim to fame to date is his copyright infringement lawsuit against hip-hop star 50 Cent. In the suit, Caliber says he owns the rights to the instrumental beat behind the song “I Get Money,” which hit the top 20 on Billboard in 2007. The beat, produced by Apex, was supposed to be the base of Caliber’s first single for 2007.
“It was in movies and everything else, and you know, they didn’t talk to me about using the record. I had all the rights. It was my song. I was just in court trying to get what’s rightfully mine,” Caliber said. “It’s a blessing, to some extent, because it shows I have the talent to make it and I have the ear to pick great music. Hopefully, we come out on top in the case and everything works out.”
Since his lawsuit started, Caliber has made the rounds with media outlets such as Perez Hilton, TMZ, VH1, BET and MSNBC. His name has made the rounds in the industry and among fans.
Caliber recently finished an East Coast tour, where he opened for Juvenile, Rick Ross, T.I. and Yo Gotti. He says one of his favorite people to meet was Juvenile.
“Juvenile is always cool,” Caliber said. “He’s a legend to me. I love Juvenile. I love everything he’s put out. I loved to meet him. It was really cool to meet an older person in the game and he gave me a couple pointers on things that I can do to help my career. “
Caliber’s got some big things in the works for 2012. He is getting ready to go on a 40-city tour through the United States with some big names, and his next music video for “Shake a Little Something” might air on MTV. He’s also working on his third mix tape, and a documentary “The Journey,” featuring Caliber will be released in the upcoming year.
“[It’s an] insight on my life, what I’ve done to get where I’m at, and just my journey, my grind,” he said. “This didn’t happen overnight. I’ve been doing this since I’ve been like 14-15 years old. And it’s not been easy to get through some of these doors. Now that I’m to a point that I have a lot of press, I have a lot of exposure right now, I’m gonna put this city on the map.”
