Their provocative name (after an armor-piercing bullet) was chosen as a symbol for their music, which they hoped would penetrate geographical lines, from Mexico and the United States to Latin America.

After playing gigs wherever they could -- from backyard parties to small restaurants -- they made a video of their song "The Infiernito," which brought them to the attention of Disa and landed them a recording contract.

They made their full-length album debut with Renovar O Morir in 2010. The album included the singles "Callejero y Mujeriego," "Culiacán vs. Mazatlán" (a duet with Gerardo Ortiz), and "El Tierno Se Fue." As Calibre 50 began to receive airplay and gain attention on YouTube, they set the stage for their 2011 breakout album De Sinaloa Para el Mundo, which included the hit singles "El Tierno Se Fue" and "Te Estoy Engañando con Otra."

Calibre 50 kept to a rigorous touring schedule and never stopped recording. 2012's El Buen Ejemplo delivered no less than four hit singles: "Mujer de Todos, Mujer de Nadie," "Bohemio Loco," "El Buen Ejemplo," and "Gente Batallosa," the latter a duet with the band Carnivale. The latter became the most played song of the year in Mexico and netted the band a Billboard Award for "Song of the Year Vocal Collaboration."

Calibre 50's work ethic was as inspiring as it was exhausting. In February of 2013, they issued La Recompensa. Its first single, "Aquí Estoy," hit the top of the Regional Mexican Music airplay charts in both Mexico and the United States, followed in similar fashion by "Ni Que Estuvieras Tan Buena," which was also radio's most played song in the genre that year. Calibre 50 struck again in October with Corridos de Alto Calibre. This collection featured the single "El Immigrante," which not only topped the radio charts, but remained in the number one spot for over ten weeks in Mexico.

The intense pace of the road and the creative pressure in writing and recording resulted in personnel changes for the band in 2014. Lopez and Augusto were replaced by Alejandro Gaxiola on tuba and Erick Garcia on drums for that year's Contigo album. It not only netted the band a number one spot for the title track single, but its full-length also claimed dominant spots.

Calibre 50 signed with Sony in late 2014. In January of the following year, Univision premiered the Televisia telenovela Que Te Perdone Dios (a remake of 2000's Abrázame Muy Fuerte). The band was enlisted to deliver the theme song, "Aunque Ahora Estés con El." It was released as a standalone single and landed in the Top Five on various airplay charts. The quartet issued the notoriously controversial pre-release single "Se Nos Volvió a Pelar Mi Apá," which was banned from airplay by some radio stations, thus affecting its chart position. They followed it with "La Gripa," which was released simultaneously in November with the Sony album, Historia de la Calle. The 14-track set offered a wide variety of Calibre 50 music showcasing northern corridos, reggae, cumbias, and rancheras that hit number one on the Latin Albums chart. It also included a cover of Joan Sebastian's "Amor Limosnero." In July 2016, the pre-album single "Amor del Bueno" went to number one on the Regional Mexican Songs download and airplay charts. In early September, the band issued three more singles, each a week apart from its successor: "Bola" was followed by "Siempre Te Voy a Querer," and then "Pa´ Qué Me Hacen Enojar." The album Desde el Rancho was issued at the end of the month. ~ Thom Jurek