When you hear the number six, what comes to mind? If you say the number seven, then you have definitely been infected by what today’s younger generation calls brainrot.
“Six seven” can be heard all around Lincoln High School from the hallways to the classrooms. The thing that makes it so popular is its lack of meaning; it is completely nonsensical and random. It is used by younger generations and is paired with a two handed “so-so” hand gesture. This younger generation has brought “six seven” into their school systems, and since then, nobody has been able to escape it.
“Six-seven is an annoying verbal crutch that middle schoolers use,” librarian Patti Vivari said. It is repeated so frequently that it has become disruptive in class. Once adolescents hear the number six, it is expected that an uproar of laughter and foolishness will follow. This has led some teachers to threaten their students with write-ups if the joke continues.
“My friends and I say ‘six seven’ upwards of 80 times a day,” sophomore Chance Paquette said.
The term “Six-seven” originated from the song “Doot Doot” by the rapper Skrilla. A single lyric has sparked a viral sensation that has remained relevant for months. The lyric is as follows: “6-7, I just bipped right on the highway (Bip, bip).”. Creators on TikTok heard this song and then used it for various basketball edits, most famously, edits of LaMelo Ball. From there, people began referring to LaMelo by his height, 6’ 7”, matching the song lyric perfectly. “Six seven” has transcended from a simple lyric into a viral reference.
“Now it is something everyone says, and it’s so funny that no one actually knows what it means, including me,” English teacher Ms. Swanson said.
This phrase is part of a larger trend called “brainrot” that comes into play. Brainrot refers to the massive amounts of overstimulating content that people consume. The more random and stupid, the better. That is the essence of brainrot. Anything loud, repetitive, and often meaningless fits perfectly into this category of digital content. It originated on platforms like TikTok, where ridiculous jokes and overstimulation thrive best. The significance behind the word “brainrot” is that brain humor is, quite literally, rotting. The more ridiculousness you consume, the less attention span you have. The less attention you have, the more outlandish things seem humorous. Sooner rather than later, you will find yourself laughing at “Skibidi Toilet” and “Tung-Tung-Tung Sahur”. This is only the tip of the iceberg.
“‘Six seven’ completes me,” Paquette said.
In this case, “six seven” is brainrot at its finest: it’s easy to remember, it’s nonsensical, and it’s fun to repeat.
Junior Lizette Barros summed it up nicely. “I think it’s really six seven and it brings life to the whole brainrot community,” she said.
“Six seven” and all brainrot prove how fast the media moves now. Trends can last for months and go viral within days. Attention spans are being trained to last for 15-second videos, and people crave quick entertainment more than anything else, literally anything—even two random numbers.