The slang originated from the drill rap song "Doot Doot (6 7)", in which American rapper Skrilla raps, "...I know he dyin' (oh my, oh my God) 6-7, I just bipped right on the highway (Bip, bip)" as the beat drops. The meaning of the number in the song remains ambiguous: some have connected it to 67th Street in Skrilla's hometown of Philadelphia, or to 67th Street in Chicago. Linguist and African-American English expert Taylor Jones has speculated that it may refer to "10-67", the police radio code used to notify of a death. This aligns with the song’s themes of gun violence and his interpretation that the line depicts the narrator playing innocent during a traffic stop. Skrilla himself has stated, “I never put an actual meaning on it and I still would not want to." The song was unofficially released in December 2024 (and officially on February 7, 2025) and was soon used in video edits of professional basketball players, particularly LaMelo Ball who is 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) tall. Later, Taylen "TK" Kinney, a high school basketball prospect at Overtime Elite, became strongly associated with the phrase after a clip of him ranking a Starbucks drink by saying "six, seven" went viral on social media. His repeated use of the phrase during Overtime Elite content led to his nickname "Mr. 6-7", and he later launched a "6-7" branded canned water line. The meme has been referenced in NBA highlights, WNBA news conferences, NFL touchdown celebrations, and also by celebrities, including former NBA player Shaquille O'Neal, who participated in a video referencing it, despite admitting he did not understand its meaning. Expanding beyond basketball, social media users began to employ the meme in unrelated contexts, such as joking about getting a 67% on an exam. The numbers lack any fixed meaning, instead functioning as a shibboleth or an inside joke for Generation Alpha. 6-7's identity as slang term has allowed it to spread in offline contexts, especially in schools, with some banning its use. The meme was featured as a plot device in the episode 334 "Twisted Christian" of South Park season 28. The meme has been identified as part of the "brain rot" phenomenon—digital media considered to be poor quality, and increasing involvement of Generation Alpha in internet culture. The moniker "Mason 67" has been invented to refer to a stereotypical white boy who overuses the slang. 41 (pronounced "forty-one") is a meme of similar origin, deriving from the song "41 Song (Saks Freestyle)" in which rapper Blizzi Boi raps the number throughout.