Georgia student charged for diss track lyrics

A Georgia high school student faces charges after releasing a diss track about another player. Cortez Lyles, an 18-year-old football player at Heritage High School, made the track in November 2023, but was charged in February 2025. Lyles created the diss track after he was allegedly attacked by another player during a game. Instead of responding with violence, his parents suggested he express himself through music. Lyles uploaded the track to Instagram to address the situation. His mother, Shandela McKnight, said she preferred this non-violent approach. The diss track, which has aggressive lyrics, includes threats like "beat his a**" and "get a body bag." However, no evidence suggests that Lyles intended to harm anyone. The other player's mother filed charges, leading to Lyles' arrest on campus. He was booked into the Rockdale County jail. Lyles' parents believe their son's lyrics were not meant to be taken literally. They compared the situation to the competitive nature of hip hop music. Now, they want to meet with the other family to resolve the issue and hopefully get the charges dropped. Lyles is a senior and plans to join the US Air Force after graduation.