Being real is being straight with yourself and those around you, period. It has nothing to do with the streets, or how much dirt you've done. Fact of the matter is, there are squares that obey the law, but will fuck you up if you cross them...then there are street cats that will pull a gun on you and not have the nuts to pull the trigger.
When it comes to this rap shit, if you rap about being a square because you are...you're a real cat. If you rap about being a thug because you are, you're a real cat. As long as one stays true to his/herself, that's being real. If you can look at yourself in the mirror every morning and know that you have nothing to hide, that's being real. If you're a grown ass man and you can cry over some serious shit, that's being real. If you act like nothing bothers you, you're either fucked up in the head or you're being fake as fuck to impress others.
My 2 pennies.