How Rock City Live is Pushing Live Music in Jos

By Nuel Umahi

I remember stepping into the grounds of Rock City Live on May 31, 2024, with nothing but curiosity and my phone camera. The air was crisp in Jos, Plateau State, a calm kind of cold that makes music feel like balm on skin. I’d heard whispers about the movement, some called it a renaissance, others said it was the second coming of the Jos we knew from the days of M.I., Ice Prince, and Jesse Jagz. But standing there, watching the lights hit the faces of a new generation, I realised this wasn’t just a show. It was homecoming for a sound, a people, and a culture that had refused to die quietly.

What I didn’t know then was how far back the dream went, and how much was sacrificed to bring that night to life.

In 2017, David Makan, better known as Sizzle Pro, and his crew had a vision: to create a platform that would celebrate and centre the sound of Jos in its voice, on its soil. The idea for Rock City Live (RCL) was born in a bedroom, one of those plans that almost feels too ambitious to touch. “We wanted it to start then,” Sizzle told JoeyOffAir, “but we didn’t have the resources, the reach, or the confidence.”

That seven-year silence wasn’t for lack of trying. Jos, affectionately called J-Town, has always had the spirit, but it battled infrastructure problems, internal conflict, and waves of migration as creatives left for Lagos in search of greener stages. But Sizzle stayed, and so did others. They built studios out of bedrooms, curated cyphers in cramped basements, and kept the sound alive underground.

2024 became the year it all came full circle.

It all began with those sessions. Then JVSH’s Homecoming happened. Then more shows, more music, more magic. Eventually, RCL became something much bigger, a movement, with Annie, JVSH, Kriss, Prezzy, Su, and Verbz forming the inaugural class of “Rock City Mafia.”

“Now we’re planning the Class of ‘25. The goal is simple: present each artist in the best possible light, and push them to release their music,” Sizzle said. 

RCL’s mantra is clear: don’t just make music for your friends, put it out, perform it, and own it. At the heart of it is their album, La Cosa Nostra, a joint project that feels like Jos speaking in chorus.

With over 20,000 streams across all platforms, the project is a statement. Not just in numbers, but in what it represents: a deeply northern sound, proudly Nigerian, and universally compelling. “It was important for us to make a joint album because it meant we could prove our synergy as a movement,” Sizzle said. “We didn’t just want to show the industry we had stars—we wanted to show them we had a system.”

There’s something about Jos that sharpens the artistic eye. Maybe it’s the weather, or the long stretches of stillness that make you sit with your thoughts. Maybe it’s the mountains that cradle the city like a secret. Or maybe it’s the fact that Jos has always lived on a fault line between celebration and survival.

The people here have a natural duality: they create beauty while navigating broken systems. “Our sound carries pain and joy in the same verse,” Sizzle told me. “That’s why it connects.”

The performance at Rock City Live was both intimate and theatrical. From the haunting delivery of KrissKillz to the high-energy presence of JVSH, every act gave the crowd a version of themselves. It wasn’t just about showcasing talent—it was about restoring pride. Jos to the world isn’t just a catchphrase anymore; it’s a reality unfolding.

In the early days, performances were free. Not because the music wasn’t valuable, but because the dream was still incubating. The artists knew they had to earn trust first. “We started just wanting to give to the city,” Sizzle explained. “But when people saw how serious we were, they started asking, ‘How do I support this?’ That’s when we knew it was time to evolve.”

This year, Rock City Live became a paid event, and it sold out. No big sponsorships, no industry handouts. Just people deciding to back their own. “We wanted to shift the culture,” Sizzle said. “From free vibes to paid value. From support to ownership.”

But the road here wasn’t smooth. There were missed deadlines, flopped mixes, lost files, and last-minute show cancellations. And worse: moments of real doubt. “There were times I felt we should’ve stopped,” Sizzle admitted. “Financially, emotionally—it was draining. But every time we’d almost give up, something would pull us back in. A message from a fan, a crazy verse from a session, a flashback to why we started.”

Their greatest strength? Community. The kind you can’t fake. La Cosa Nostra isn’t just a music album, it’s a record of collective will. Every artist involved had to shelve their egos, postpone personal projects, and trust the process. “That’s why we called it that, The Family,” Sizzle added. “We’re really a family.”

Now, the vision is growing. With platforms like Rock City Live, The Gathering, and Ground Zero becoming institutional in Jos, the collective is now eyeing other states—Abuja, Kaduna, and Gombe. But it’s not just about exporting talent. It’s about exporting culture. “We don’t want to go to other states and blend in,” Sizzle said. “We want to take our essence there.”

There are plans for a Rock City Live tour, campus activations, merch drops, and cross-city collaborations. They’re also nurturing the next class, mentoring younger acts, teaching the business of music, and setting up systems so the dream doesn’t die again.

Sizzle is not resting. He intends to host another festival this year in December, and also, an album in 2026.

“If we can prove this is sustainable in Jos, then every small city in Nigeria can dream again,” he said. “And maybe this time, they won’t have to wait seven years to start.”

Standing at that concert, surrounded by hundreds of screaming fans, it hit me: this isn’t just entertainment—it’s healing. In a time when most cities are still catching up to themselves, Rock City Live is proof that when art is rooted in place and people, it becomes a tool for restoration.

Jos didn’t just find its voice again. It turned it into a movement.

And this time, the world is listening.