Web Ought to Thank a Second Kentucky Wildcat for the Viral ‘6-7’ Meme, Not Simply Tay Kinney

The ‘6-7’ meme merely can’t be missed. Anybody who has been close to TikTok, Instagram, or a highschool cafeteria prior to now few months has, little doubt, heard it. Somebody pretending to juggle invisible objects, nodding with pretend seriousness, and saying, ‘Six… seven.’ That’s it. But one way or the other, it’s taken over the web.

Insanity of virality apart, behind the chaos and the countless edits lies a stunning origin story. It begins in a Starbucks airport with two basketball gamers: Kentucky’s personal wildcat and his former Time beyond regulation Elite teammate, Taylen ‘TK’ Kinney. So how did a random espresso order flip right into a generational meme?

How Did Jasper Johnson’s ‘6–7’ Meme Come Into Being?

It began “early within the morning” in Atlanta. Chatting with On3 after a industrial shoot in Lexington, Johnson, the Kentucky freshman, recalled the second that made him a well-liked identify.

“We have been on the airport, about to go to the Bahamas, I believe, to play a sport,” Johnson stated. “We have been attempting to get some meals, however there was not too many choices. It was early within the morning, not too many issues have been open. We had went to Starbucks.” Proper beside him was his shut good friend, Tay Kinney.

With out overthinking it, Kinney ordered one thing first, so Johnson simply copied it. When Kinney requested the way it tasted, Johnson shrugged, “Yeah… It’s like a six, seven.” And that was it. Ideally, it could have been a throwaway line, however Kinney’s response turned that throwaway line into one thing particular.

“’Oh yeahhh, we gotta do it into the digital camera! I really feel prefer it’s gonna go loopy!’” Johnson recalled Kinney saying. Inside minutes, they grabbed their media particular person, hit file, and turned an off-the-cuff ranking into the “6–7” video that will quickly change into an algorithm favourite.

The Actual That means Behind Jasper Johnson’s Well-known ‘6–7’

The phrase was not fully random. Johnson and Kinney had each heard it in a low-key drill rap observe referred to as “Doot Doot (6 7)” by Skrilla, wherein the artist repeats the phrase because the beat drops. On the time, hardly anybody knew the tune till the duo’s 10-second clip despatched the web right into a frenzy.

“I by no means thought it could get that huge,” Johnson admitted. “Simply saying two numbers. It’s positively loopy.” Earlier than lengthy, Tay Kinney was being referred to as “Mr. 6–7.” He leaned into the hype, utilizing the phrase in Time beyond regulation Elite content material and launching a “6–7” water model.

In the meantime, Johnson, the quiet creator behind the viral storm, was entering into a brand new highlight at Kentucky. His new teammates didn’t even notice the meme’s true origin.

Ahead Reece Potter laughed when he came upon, saying he at all times assumed it was Kinney’s doing. “It’s kinda humorous that Jasper was the one who began it,” Potter stated.

The “6–7” meme blew up far past TikTok. It appeared in NBA highlights, WNBA press conferences, and even NFL celebrations. Celebs like Shaquille O’Neal joined in too, regardless of admitting he had no clue what it meant. It’s now greater than a meme, a slang time period that’s jumped offline into colleges and on a regular basis chatter.

In the meantime, that story’s change into a part of Johnson’s rising legend in Lexington. Johnson will carry the identical power to Mark Pope’s squad because the mud on virality settles. This season, Pope’s roster has some severe depth.

Inside Kentucky’s Stacked Lineup and The place Jasper Johnson Matches In

Otega Oweh returns as an SEC Participant of the Yr favourite. Denzel Aberdeen and Jaland Lowe carry dependable backcourt expertise, and switch ahead Mouhamed Dioubate provides athleticism and edge.

Kam Williams’ three-point firepower and Brandon Garrison’s rising presence within the paint make Kentucky nothing wanting scary. That’s the loaded roster that Johnson is strolling into.

Nonetheless, let’s not overlook Johnson is the sort of freshman who can change the power of a sport the second he checks in. As a Woodford County Excessive Faculty sophomore, he averaged 20.1 factors per sport.

On the 2024 FIBA U18 AmeriCup, Johnson averaged 10.0 factors and a couple of.7 assists. Now, he brings the identical power to the Pope squad. And with guys like Trent Noah, Collin Chandler, and Reece Potter alongside him, there’s a way that Pope’s group may very well be each harmful and enjoyable.