"The nonsense number trend began life as a throwaway line in "Doot Doot (6 7)" by Philly rapper Skrilla, a 26-year-old who makes menacing drill rap where his couplets tumble haphazardly like Percocets out of an overturned prescription pill bottle. With his nasal flow, he's proclaimed himself the "face of zombieland" - a nod to the grim reality of the open-air drug market in his Kensington neighborhood - and seems to be approaching his newfound notoriety with bemusement at the mop-headed TikTok-ers who've boosted his streaming numbers and, probably, his asking price."
"Along with the much-memed number and references to "Baby Shark," "Doot Doot" also includes lyrical tributes to rap hits that went off when Skrilla was elementary school age, like Rich Boy's "Throw Some D's" and Hurricane Chris's "A Bay Bay," that serve as a reminder: Hip-hop remains in conversation with itself, even when eavesdroppers and culture vultures are listening in. (Nov. 4 at 8 p.m. at DC9. dc9.club. $31.93-$34.41.)"
"That conversation includes plenty of inspiration; for example, there's no Gunna without Young Thug. The Atlanta rapper began his career aping the manner of his mentor and fed the streets as Thug languished in prison. New album "The Last Wun" is Gunna's last album for Thug's YSL Records, but the collection doesn't point toward a new direction"
Hip-hop has reshaped music, luxury aesthetics, and everyday language, with rappers' slang moving from street origins into youth culture. Viral rap slang frequently becomes a decontextualized meme, detaching language from musical and cultural roots. Skrilla's "Doot Doot (6 7)" turned a throwaway line into a memespeak trend as TikTok users amplified his streams. Skrilla's menacing drill style, self-styled "face of zombieland," and local references reflect neighborhood realities even as online fame alters his exposure and market value. Hip-hop remains self-referential across generations, with artists like Gunna shaped by mentors such as Young Thug.
Read at The Washington Post
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