"I'm Real" is an R&B song recorded by James Brown. It was co-written and produced by Full Force and appeared on Brown's 1988 album of the same name. Released as a single the same year, it charted #2 R&B. Described in Rolling Stone as "[Brown's] I'm-the-original rapper song", its lyrics assert his primacy and relevance as a performer over and against the many musicians who sample his work.