# Skrilla
**Skrilla** is the stage name of Jemille Edwards (born 1999), an American rapper from the [Kensington](https://www.edgepedia.org/kensington) neighborhood of Philadelphia known for a slurring flow over off-beat drum machines and mournful choir samples, a style Our Generation Music credits as the pioneering strain of "Philly Drill."[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/skrilla-mn0001299678) • [2](https://www.thefader.com/2026/01/13/skrilla-67-interview-kensington-z) • [3](https://ourgenerationmusic.com/featured/skrilla-interview-philly-underworld-lil-uzi-vert-pray-for-me/) He broke to a national audience in 2025 when his single "Doot Doot (6 7)" became the source of the viral "6 7" meme.[4](https://whyy.org/articles/meaning-6-7-skrilla-philadelphia/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1999; oldest of four siblings[2](https://www.thefader.com/2026/01/13/skrilla-67-interview-kensington-z) |
| Origin | Kensington, Philadelphia, which he calls "ZombieLand"[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/skrilla-mn0001299678) • [5](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/skrilla-zombie-love-kensington-paradise-deluxe/) |
| Heritage | Mixed Black and Mexican heritage per AllMusic; one interview source describes him as Mexican-Haitian[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/skrilla-mn0001299678) • [3](https://ourgenerationmusic.com/featured/skrilla-interview-philly-underworld-lil-uzi-vert-pray-for-me/) |
| Labels | Priority Records (signed 2023); album *Z* announced for release via Capitol Records[4](https://whyy.org/articles/meaning-6-7-skrilla-philadelphia/) • [2](https://www.thefader.com/2026/01/13/skrilla-67-interview-kensington-z) |
| Albums | *Underworld* and *Zombie Love Kensington Paradise*, the latter with a 27-track deluxe edition[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/skrilla-mn0001299678) • [5](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/skrilla-zombie-love-kensington-paradise-deluxe/) |
| Viral hit | "Doot Doot (6 7)" (February 2025), origin of the "6 7" meme[2](https://www.thefader.com/2026/01/13/skrilla-67-interview-kensington-z) • [4](https://whyy.org/articles/meaning-6-7-skrilla-philadelphia/) |
| Streaming reach | 943,319 Spotify monthly listeners at retrieval[6](https://open.spotify.com/artist/3qdQnBjEBHrk5nZYxXdV1U) |
## Early life and background
Jemille Edwards was born in 1999, the oldest of four siblings, and grew up in [Kensington, Philadelphia](https://www.edgepedia.org/kensington-philadelphia).[2](https://www.thefader.com/2026/01/13/skrilla-67-interview-kensington-z) • [4](https://whyy.org/articles/meaning-6-7-skrilla-philadelphia/) In interviews he has described playing AAU basketball and running cross country, beginning to deal drugs at age 12, and spending two and a half years on house arrest during high school.[2](https://www.thefader.com/2026/01/13/skrilla-67-interview-kensington-z) In 2013, at around age 14, he joined roughly 50 other children in a Trayvon Martin demonstration organized through the Young Chances Foundation program in Philadelphia's Grays Ferry section.[4](https://whyy.org/articles/meaning-6-7-skrilla-philadelphia/)
He started rapping in 2018, when his first child was born; he is a father to two daughters, with two more children on the way at the time of his January 2026 FADER interview.[2](https://www.thefader.com/2026/01/13/skrilla-67-interview-kensington-z)
## Career
His debut single, "Green Snake," appeared in 2018. Over the following years he released the mixtapes *Kutthroat* (2022) and *Gemini Season* (2023), on which he developed his signature slurring flow paired with off-beat drum machines and mournful choir samples.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/skrilla-mn0001299678)
In 2023 he signed to the Los Angeles-based Priority Records, which released the single "Booted" that year and the 2024 breakthrough singles "Blahdahdahdahdah" and "GOD DAMN."[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/skrilla-mn0001299678) • [4](https://whyy.org/articles/meaning-6-7-skrilla-philadelphia/) His debut album, *Underworld*, followed, featuring guest verses from [G Herbo](https://www.edgepedia.org/g-herbo) and a posthumous appearance by the Philadelphia rapper YNG Cheese, along with passages reflecting his devotion to the Afro-Cuban religion Santeria.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/skrilla-mn0001299678) *Zombie Love Kensington Paradise* arrived nine months later.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/skrilla-mn0001299678)
## Breakthrough and viral success
"Doot Doot (6 7)" was released in February 2025. By spring it had become, in FADER's words, a "brainrot" meme for Gen Alpha, spread through TikTok.[2](https://www.thefader.com/2026/01/13/skrilla-67-interview-kensington-z) WHYY traces the nationwide "6-7" phrase directly to the song.[4](https://whyy.org/articles/meaning-6-7-skrilla-philadelphia/)
The spread ran through basketball clips: Taylen "TK" Kinney, then headed to the [University of Kansas](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-kansas), is often credited with popularizing the trend by rating a [Starbucks](https://www.edgepedia.org/starbucks) drink a "6, 7" out of 10, and clips of the 6-foot-7 NBA star [LaMelo Ball](https://www.edgepedia.org/lamelo-ball) amplified it further.[4](https://whyy.org/articles/meaning-6-7-skrilla-philadelphia/) Passion of the Weiss attributes the crossover to the idiosyncratic way Skrilla says "six seven" throughout the track, less a hook than an incantation.[7](https://www.powmag.net/p/skrilla-interview-philly-doot-doot-6-7) For Skrilla himself, the phrase honors a section of Kensington, "where all my young buls, my little crashouts come from."[7](https://www.powmag.net/p/skrilla-interview-philly-doot-doot-6-7) The song was added to a deluxe edition of *Zombie Love Kensington Paradise*.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/skrilla-mn0001299678)
## By the numbers
His Spotify artist page showed 943,319 monthly listeners at retrieval, with top tracks including "Doot Doot," "GOD DAMN," "Chiraq," and "Blahdahdahdahdah."[6](https://open.spotify.com/artist/3qdQnBjEBHrk5nZYxXdV1U) The deluxe edition of *Zombie Love Kensington Paradise* adds eight tracks to the existing 19, for 27 total.[5](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/skrilla-zombie-love-kensington-paradise-deluxe/) Skrilla has said the virality increased both his streams and his feature price, without published figures.[7](https://www.powmag.net/p/skrilla-interview-philly-doot-doot-6-7)
## Artistry and style
Skrilla's sound is built on a slurring flow over off-beat drum machines and mournful choir samples.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/skrilla-mn0001299678) Passion of the Weiss describes a dark, rugged style rooted in Future's "burnt-brained freakouts," [Kodak Black](https://www.edgepedia.org/kodak-black)'s "witchdoctor croak," and the psychedelic rhythmic sensibilities of [Chief Keef](https://www.edgepedia.org/chief-keef) and [Young Thug](https://www.edgepedia.org/young-thug), alongside Lil Wayne and Gucci Mane.[7](https://www.powmag.net/p/skrilla-interview-philly-doot-doot-6-7) Our Generation Music credits him with pioneering an East Coast style dubbed "Philly Drill" and describes *Underworld* as an homage to his Philadelphia roots.[3](https://ourgenerationmusic.com/featured/skrilla-interview-philly-underworld-lil-uzi-vert-pray-for-me/) He has compared his experimental approach to Tyler, The Creator's left-leaning sonics combined with his own street flair.[3](https://ourgenerationmusic.com/featured/skrilla-interview-philly-underworld-lil-uzi-vert-pray-for-me/) His lyrics draw on Santeria, to which he is devoted.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/skrilla-mn0001299678)
## How it compares with his East Coast rap peers
Pitchfork characterizes Skrilla as a "rap weirdo" in a long lineage of Philadelphia hip-hop outliers, placing him closer to [Santigold](https://www.edgepedia.org/santigold), Tierra Whack, and [Lil Uzi Vert](https://www.edgepedia.org/lil-uzi-vert) than to the street-rap lineage of [Meek Mill](https://www.edgepedia.org/meek-mill), Beanie Sigel, or Ot7 Quanny.[5](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/skrilla-zombie-love-kensington-paradise-deluxe/) Tierra Whack has repeatedly shouted him out, and he and Lil Uzi Vert have a handful of unofficial collaborations.[5](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/skrilla-zombie-love-kensington-paradise-deluxe/) FADER describes his strain of drill as less preoccupied with interpersonal violence than with the expensive cars and pharmaceuticals that street exploits can provide.[2](https://www.thefader.com/2026/01/13/skrilla-67-interview-kensington-z) Pitchfork also notes that he staunchly represents Kensington, which he calls "ZombieLand," a section of Philadelphia long known for its open-air drug market, while criticizing the deluxe album for excessive shock value.[5](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/skrilla-zombie-love-kensington-paradise-deluxe/)
## What has changed since late 2023
After signing with [Priority Records](https://www.edgepedia.org/priority-records) in 2023, Skrilla mounted his first headlining tour, ending at [The Fillmore](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-fillmore) in Philadelphia on November 30.[4](https://whyy.org/articles/meaning-6-7-skrilla-philadelphia/) In the January 2026 FADER interview he described recording his album *Z* for [Capitol Records](https://www.edgepedia.org/capitol-records), saying the process had greater discipline and intent as he became more sober; at the time, the album was set for a first-quarter release, with the singles "Bhrome Heart" and "Rich Sinners" featuring Lil Yachty.[2](https://www.thefader.com/2026/01/13/skrilla-67-interview-kensington-z) He is also building a label called Rich Sinners.[7](https://www.powmag.net/p/skrilla-interview-philly-doot-doot-6-7) During the tour he met the Brazilian rapper TZ da Coronel in São Paulo and recorded with him.[2](https://www.thefader.com/2026/01/13/skrilla-67-interview-kensington-z) Apple Music lists "Free 40 (feat. YoungBoy Never Broke Again)" among his top songs and his latest release as the single "Play Different Flows," dated September 4, 2026.[8](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/skrilla/1564997362)
## References
1. [Skrilla — Biography, Discography, Albums & Expert Reviews, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/skrilla-mn0001299678)
2. [Skrilla on "6 7," Kensington, and his new album Z, The FADER (January 13, 2026)](https://www.thefader.com/2026/01/13/skrilla-67-interview-kensington-z)
3. [Skrilla Interview: Philly, 'Underworld,' Lil Uzi Vert, 'Pray For Me', Our Generation Music](https://ourgenerationmusic.com/featured/skrilla-interview-philly-underworld-lil-uzi-vert-pray-for-me/)
4. ['6-7,' '6 7' or '67'? Why the phrase traces back to Philadelphia, WHYY](https://whyy.org/articles/meaning-6-7-skrilla-philadelphia/)
5. [Skrilla: Zombie Love Kensington Paradise (Deluxe) Album Review, Pitchfork](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/skrilla-zombie-love-kensington-paradise-deluxe/)
6. [Skrilla, Spotify artist profile](https://open.spotify.com/artist/3qdQnBjEBHrk5nZYxXdV1U)
7. [At the Mall With Skrilla: A Portrait of Philly's Great Rap Star, Passion of the Weiss](https://www.powmag.net/p/skrilla-interview-philly-doot-doot-6-7)
8. [Skrilla, Apple Music](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/skrilla/1564997362)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Music scenes › Transnational genre scenes › Hip hop scenes worldwide › Artists, groups, and people: Hip hop scenes worldwide › East Coast rap (New York and Philadelphia) › New-generation New York rap (2010s–2020s)*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license