Who coined this phrase and what primary sources attribute its origin?

1. What reporters are saying — a single clear genealogy

News outlets and Dictionary.com identify a single, proximate origin for the modern slang: Skrilla’s December 2024 track “Doot Doot (6 7).” Dictionary.com’s Word of the Year write‑up states the modern use of “67” is “thought to be” from that song and quantifies the public interest spike — searches for “67” increased more than sixfold beginning in summer 2025 ^[1]. TODAY’s reporting likewise states the origin “seems to stem from December 2024” when Skrilla rapped “6‑7” in the song ^[2]. Local and aggregated accounts (e.g., CBS8) echo that attribution ^[3].

2. What the dictionaries officially report

Dictionary.com selected “67” as its 2025 Word of the Year after lexicographers analyzed search trends and social‑media activity and concluded the term reflected a cultural moment; they explicitly link the modern slang to Skrilla’s song “Doot Doot (6 7)” while emphasizing the post‑June 2025 search spike ^[1]. Cambridge’s blog and other lexicographic coverage in 2025 record a lot of emergent slang that year but Cambridge’s detailed Word of the Year post in these search results focuses on other entries (parasocial) and does not dispute Dictionary.com’s analysis for “67” in the provided excerpts — available sources do not mention Cambridge conducting their own separate attribution for “67” in these clips ^{[4] [5]}.

3. Primary sources cited by reporters — what’s present and what’s missing

The accounts in the provided results rely on: (a) the song “Doot Doot (6 7)” and Skrilla’s lyric as the earliest identifiable media example; and (b) corpus/search‑trend data compiled by Dictionary.com to show the term’s rapid uptake ^{[1] [2]}. However, the provided search results do not include direct links to Skrilla’s song, lyric transcripts, music‑release metadata, or timestamps that prove the December 2024 release date in primary form; reporters phrase the origin as “thought to be” or “seems to stem from,” indicating inference rather than documentary proof in these excerpts ^{[1] [2]}.

4. How confident are these attributions? Language of uncertainty matters

All cited pieces use cautious language — “thought to be” (Dictionary.com) and “seems to stem from” (TODAY) — which signals that journalists and lexicographers treat the Skrilla song as the most plausible proximate source in available public evidence but are not presenting an incontrovertible primary‑document chain ^{[1] [2]}. That hedging is consistent with how lexicographers work: they combine earliest attested instances with patterning in corpora and social media, rather than declaring a single definitive origin without corroborating primary artifacts ^[1].

5. Alternative possibilities and gaps reporters did not, or could not, fill

The reporting in these snippets does not address whether the phrase had prior, undocumented circulation (for example, local scenes, live performances, or private clips preceding the recorded release), nor do the excerpts include direct primary evidence such as a dated audio upload or a verified lyric sheet tied to December 2024. Therefore, available sources do not mention earlier uses predating Skrilla’s recording, and they do not provide the primary audio/lyric files themselves for independent verification ^{[1] [2] [3]}.

6. Practical takeaway for researchers and readers

If you need primary‑source proof beyond journalistic attribution, consult: (a) the original released recording or official streaming metadata for “Doot Doot (6 7)” by Skrilla to confirm its release date and lyric; and (b) timestamped social‑media posts or earliest TikTok videos using “67” to map diffusion. The current reporting (Dictionary.com, TODAY, CBS8) establishes Skrilla’s song as the leading candidate for the modern origin of “67,” and lexicographic analysis shows a strong search‑interest spike beginning June 2025 — but the articles themselves stop short of presenting the raw primary files in the excerpts available here ^{[1] [2] [3]}.

Sources cited in this summary: Dictionary.com’s 2025 Word of the Year piece and related reporting ^[1], TODAY’s coverage tying origin to Skrilla’s December 2024 lyric ^[2], and CBS8’s report repeating the same attribution ^[3].