The “Six-Seven” Meme Phenomenon

If you’ve been around kids or teens lately, you might have heard them enthusiastically shout “Six-Seven” in this really exaggerated way. For those of us who remember life before 2010, it seems to be one of the most bizarre and confusing memes of the year.

The oddest thing is that most kids can’t really explain why they say “Six-Seven,” or what it even means. My daughter, who’s 8, didn’t want to say it because she was worried about feeling embarrassed, and she even told me, “You’re not allowed to say it.” Out of curiosity, I dug into the meme and discovered that it all traces back to Lamelo Ball.

This meme originally came from a song called “Doot Doot,” released by rapper Skulla in December 2024. He mentions “6-7” multiple times in the lyrics, which many believe refers to Chicago’s 67th Avenue. At first, the song didn’t catch on. Like much of Skulla’s work, it struggled to gain traction on the charts. That all changed in February when TikTok started remixing it, featuring highlights of Lamelo Ball that playfully tied into the song’s lyrics.

The video took off and quickly went viral, prompting others to imitate it. Suddenly, TikTok was flooded with Lamelo highlights set to the catchy “Doot Doot,” all emphasizing that memorable “6-7” line.

While the basketball TikTok scene was already buzzing with memes, it needed an extra push to really explode and become a staple of meme culture. This happened when a clip surfaced from an AAU basketball game, featuring the now-famous “67 Kids” meme emerging during the event.

Yep, it’s just a kid yelling “6-7,” but that was enough to turn the “67 Kid” into a meme of his own. Gen-Z and Gen-Alpha have crafted an array of humorous backstories around him, depicting him as a ghost and creating stylized edits filled with laughter. The original “67 Kids” video and its various offshoots racked up millions of views on TikTok, securing its place as one of the standout memes of the year.

I eventually circled back to Lamelo Ball, who made a splash during a popular Kaisenat stream. When asked how tall he was, he humorously replied, “6-7,” further solidifying this meme in the pop culture landscape.

Now, kids everywhere are echoing “Six-Seven” without a clue about its origin or meaning. Most of them have completely lost the connection to 67th Avenue in Chicago—they just think it’s fun to say.

So, as the NBA season kicks off this year, get ready for a lot more “6-7” chatter when Lamelo comes up. It’s going to be big—strangely exciting, and definitely a bit ridiculous.