Expand / Collapse search
☰

'Diss track' leads to charges for Georgia high school student

By
Published  March 18, 2025 6:11pm EDT
Rockdale County
FOX 5 Atlanta

High school student arrested over diss track

In Rockdale County, a Heritage High School football player must prepare for his day in court. He's ready to fight charges after recording a song aiming to settle a score.

The Brief

    • An 18-year-old was charged with terroristic threats/acts after posting a diss track on social media back in November.
    • According to Cortez Lyles' parents, their son posted the recording after losing a fight with a fellow football player at Heritage High School in Conyers.
    • Parents say their son chose to make the song after they warned him against fighting in retaliation. "Listen, it's not worth it," said Lyles' father, Nachez Lyles. "You're going to get yourself in trouble, and you don't want to go the fighting route. We'll deal with this."
    • The Rockdale County Sheriff's Office arrested Cortez Lyles on campus in late February after the mother of the subject of the recording pressed charges.

ROCKDALE COUNTY, Ga. - A defensive back for the Heritage High School football team in Conyers says a scuffle on the football field led to a fight off of it.

His response landed him in the Rockdale County Jail.

What we know:

Cortez Lyles recorded a "diss track" and posted the song to his Instagram account after his parents told him not to fight a teammate who he says attacked him.

What they're saying:

Nachez Lyles says his son is the victim after getting attacked at school.

"What do y'all want him to do? Come back to school and fight?" exclaims Lyles's mother, Shandela McKnight. "We don't teach our kids that."

"The other guy got a couple of licks in, and my son came home with, and my son came home with a knot on top of his forehead," says Lyles.

Lyles says he can't believe his 18-year-old son's words are being misinterpreted.

Nachez Lyles says diss tracks are part of hip hop and his son is not violent.

"The same thing with the Kendrick Lamar and Drake situation," points out Lyles. "The complete consensus was, 'Oh, Kendrick bodied Drake. so, for that to be mentioned in a song and translated into something literal is egregious."

Dig deeper:

A portion of his song lyrics reads:

Imma beat his ***

Drop a diss

and then I'll take his *****

Get a body bag or save his ***

'cause I ain't sparing ****

I'm a scorpion  

What's next:

Cortez Lyles' parents hope to talk to the parents who pressed charges in hopes of coming to a resolution.

SEE ALSO:

The Source: FOX 5's Kevyn Stewart spoke to Cortez Lyles' parents about charges against their son over a diss track.

Rockdale CountyNewsCrime and Public Safety