What Being “A Real One” Really Means

Abstract

Being a "real one" and "keepin' it real" are terms that are always tossed around but often misunderstood. Many may claim realness, and yet fail to meet its simple requirements. Earlier this week, I wrote about running into an old friend, O.G., on the street in Brooklyn, and going back to his block to meet his friends. When O.G. and his friends called me "real," it was more about my accessibility and how we engaged than that scene of my guzzling a cup of Hennessy outside in an unfamiliar neighborhood (forget about calling women "bitches" or claiming to be gangsta, as these are things that I don’t do).