keep it real

"keep it real" comes from African-American Vernacular English or Multicultural London English and means to perform an individual’s experience of being black in the united states. It has spread well beyond its origin through hip-hop, drill, TikTok and gaming, so a teen of any background may use it. It is not in itself a sign of bad behaviour; it is a style of speech the way 'cool' or 'wicked' once was. The conversation worth having is about respecting where the language comes from, not about banning the word.

"keep it real" is informal, ethnically marked slang English meaning to perform an individual’s experience of being black in the united states. It is mainly used in North American English. A more formal or neutral equivalent would be something like "to perform an individual’s experience of being black in the united states" expressed in standard vocabulary. A common mistake is to assume "keep it real" can replace its standard equivalent in every register; keep it for spoken or casual situations and use the formal form in writing.