The dark days of humor are upon us. Everywhere you go, you can hear someone yell “six–seven” while making the now-iconic up-and-down open-palm gesture. Not to be confused with the number 67, this strange cultural phenomenon has left older people constantly asking, “What does 6–7 even mean?” For a long time, that was a question I couldn’t answer. Its origins are confusing and, frankly, make absolutely no sense.
The most obvious place to start is “Doot Doot” by Skrilla—a song I strongly advise you not to listen to. It has single-handedly set back not only music, but the human race, by several centuries. The beat is questionable, the lyrics are worse, and, unfortunately, it birthed one of the most baffling memes the internet has ever produced. But even this awful song wasn’t intended to spark the chaos that followed.
The real roots of the “6–7” meme come from TikTok and Instagram Reels edits, most of them centered around Charlotte Hornets star LaMelo Ball—who happens to be 6-foot-7. Editors started making “unexpected edits,” where a normal video suddenly cuts to a flashy montage the moment a word linked to a particular person is said. Because Ball is 6-foot-7, the phrase “six-seven” became the trigger, and the internet ran with it.
But the true explosion of the meme came from one video: a kid staring straight into the camera, yelling “6–7!” while doing the signature hand motion. That clip went insanely viral, turning the once-normal numbers six and seven into a cultural punchline for the entire Class of ’25 and beyond.
The popularity of 6–7 has forever changed how our generation experiences daily life—math class, science problems, jersey numbers, you name it. You can’t even hear those two digits without the gesture popping into your head. Until the end of our days, we’ll think of Skrilla’s cursed song, LaMelo Ball edits, and that one internet gremlin of a kid whenever the used-to-be-normal numbers 6 and 7 come up.
