Green’s Dictionary of Slang

of a person, an emotion or an experience, the genuine article, esp. in the phr. what’s the real?, what’s going on? what’s the meaning?

1827		Bell’s Life in London 23 Dec. 2/5: Jem Ward for a lusty tureen [...] order’d to give ’em four quarts of the real.
1872		C.D.Warner Blacklog Studies 4: A cynic might suggest as the motto of modern life this simple legend – ‘Just as good as the real’ [F&H].
1941		‘Digg Mee’ ‘Observation Post’ in N.Y. Age 5 Apr. 9/6: Is it the ‘real’ between Cecil Levister and Flo Castile? [ibid.] 17 May 9/7: There was a time when Sam Cognell thought Mary Crockett the only ’real’.
1973		D. Goines Street Players 48: That’s right, baby...the real will come out.
2008		‘Grandmaster Flash’ Adventures 140: Hank’s fronting like he's big shit, but everybody on the street knows he stole his rhymes. Hank ain’t the real.
2012		N. Karpon ‘Three-Large’ in ThugLit Oct. [ebook] ‘Let’s go up Lanvale. Guy up there’s holding the real, I heard’.