Testing the Spirits of “6 7”

What is the source of "6 7"?

Jemille Edwards, better known as the rapper “Skrilla,” hails from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. To date, he has released two albums through Priority Records: Underworld (2023) and Zombie Love Kensington Paradise (2024). His single "Doot Doot (6 7)" became popular on TikTok in 2025, sparking the “6 7” trend. It was partially popularized by high school basketball player Taylen "TK" Kinney, who recited the song's lyric “6 7” in many of his interviews over several months, and through TikTok videos referencing NBA basketball player LaMelo Ball's height. By February 2025, it had been used in more than 126 thousand videos on TikTok.

The song is primarily about gang violence, murder, revenge, and drugs, referencing a shooting incident on the streets of Chicago. The phrase "6 7" can refer to a few things in the song: the 6'7" height of a gunman, a grave measurement of 6'7" deep, a reference to 67th Street in Philadelphia or Chicago, or a police code “10-67," commonly meaning a report or investigation into a death. For most users, “6 7” doesn’t have a specific definition; it’s used as a spontaneous interjection in almost any context, making it humorous. Skrilla suggests that “6 7” is intentionally nonsensical and has a fluid meaning determined by the user.

However, it’s crucial to consider how the numbers are used in Skrilla’s actual context, which revolves around gangs, shooting, violence, and murder. This aspect of Skrilla is enough to deter me personally from listening to the song, but there is a darker side of the artist that many are unaware of. He grew up in a rough environment and started selling drugs at the tender age of 12. Consequently, he faced multiple heroin-related charges and spent two and a half years under house arrest during his high school years. Initially, he had aspirations of becoming a fashion designer and was actively involved in community activism associated with the Trayvon Martin protests and the rise of Black Lives Matter. However, there’s more to his story.

Jemille Edwards, better known “Skrilla”

Skrilla, an open practitioner of Santería, an Afro-Caribbean religion renowned for its rituals of spirit communication and animal sacrifice, integrates elements of the Yoruba religion, Roman Catholicism, Spiritism, and ritual sacrifice. These practices often involve the sacrifice of chickens, goats, and other animals to seek protection, obtain blessings, request favors, and appease spiritual entities known as “orishas.” Communication with spirits is a central aspect of Santería, facilitated through mediums, divination, trances, and even possession. When asked about his religion, Skrilla has openly said in many interviews, “I am Santo, Palero.” “Santo” refers to a practitioner of Santería. A “palero” is a practitioner of Palo Mayombe, someone who works with spiritual entities and the dead. In his 2024 song, Shoestrings, Skrilla writes, “I done made some sacrifices, kill the goat, wash away the sins / Havin’ talks with Babaaláwo, he tellin' me I'm gon' live a while…” A “babaaláwo” is a high priest in Yoruba who practices divination. The title literally translates to “father of secrets" and denotes a spiritual leader who uses a complex system of divination to communicate with the spirit world. Skrilla openly reveals that he sacrifices goats with a high priest whose title reveals that Baal is the recipient of those blood sacrifices.

So here is what we know about “6 7”. While it has become one of those silly brain rot phrases adopted by Gen Alpha that seems harmless, humorous, and ambiguous, it is sourced in a culture of drugs, violence, murder revenge, and demon worship. Before anyone dismisses me as an old-fashioned, stuffy, and conservative preacher (which is true) who wants to ruin people’s fun (which is untrue), I’d like to clarify that my friends know me as the pastor who brings the “fun” to “fundamentalism.” Although some may also say I put the “mental” in there too. I am not trying to ruin anyone’s fun. I just want Christians to think biblically.

1 John 4:1 challenges us, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” Is Santería of God? Paul echoes in 1 Thessalonians 1:21, “Test all things; hold fast what is good.” Are drugs, violence, murder, and goat sacrifice good?

In the last two years, I have taught our church two important themes: Be Biblical and Be Excellent. I want to impress those two themes into our daily lives. I don’t believe using “6 7” humorously is a sin or that youth have malicious intentions when using it. However, after learning its source and association, my family and I have decided to refrain from using it. I take John’s and Paul’s instructions, inspired by the Holy Spirit, seriously and literally. I encourage all Christians to examine cultural practices like this through the lens of Scripture and assess their compatibility with biblical teachings.

As always, Be Literal.

PTL