Have you ever wondered what Drake means in his song "Too Much" featuring Sampha when he says "Don't run from it, like H-town in the summertime, I keep it 100?" Or what Larry Wilmore's "Keep It 100" segment is all about on The Nightly Show? Why is everyone so obsessed with 100 and what does "keeping it" there mean? As usual, to understand the nuances of keeping something 100, we must first turn to a few definitions from Urban Dictionary:
- "To keep yourself real and true, to be honest and stick to the way you are, no matter what any one else thinks."
- "To tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. AKA "Keep it Real" or be honest with youself as well as others."
- "Keep it pure."
Keeping it 100 (or keeping it one "hunnit," an alternative way of saying the same thing) means to be you, be honest, be true to yourself and the people you love, be unapologetic but respectful at the same time, and be the best at what you do. But, as Drake suggests, a place can also keep it 100; for example, Houston in the summer or the pacific ocean on a hot day. With regards to a place, keeping it 100 means that it's consistently perfect, enjoyable, and on fleek.
The expression very likely comes from "100 percent," but instead of telling people to "perform 100 percent on everything at all times" (which is quite the mouthful) it evolved into a very simple "keep it 100," and perform as you would if you were aiming to get 100 percent on life. Makes sense, no?
Still a little unsure of what the word means? Here are some examples of people, places, and things that consistently keep it 100:
1. Beyonce
Obviously.
2. Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
3. San Diego Beaches
4. Wes Anderson Films
5. Taylor Swift's Album "1989"
6. Taylor Swift's Album "Red"
7. Taylor Swift's Album "Fearless"
8. OK, Literally Everything Taylor Swift
9. Vampire Diaries Re-runs
10. DEEP FRIED GUACAMOLE
11. Every Corgi Ever
12. This GIF of Famous People
And now you know. So go out there and always remember to keep it one hundred.
Images: Giphy (11)
