There is a difference between a black man style hair cut and a mullet. A mullet is when you have two separate braids that go down the back of your head. Black men who sport this style do so because it has the look of an African American men. The only difference is, it is not really an African American hairstyle.
The black man style hair cut has been around for a long time. It was very popular in the plantation West Indies and early America, where slaves were made to wear their own hair in a black man style. In slave times they would also tie their hair together to avoid the white man snatching the scalp from them. During the 1400’s, it became popular as a way for plantation workers to make their work harder. They were treated almost like animals on plantations.
This is why some of the first slaves who wore their hair in a black man style had it cut close to their shoulders so that it was not visible. They would do this to protect themselves from being stolen by white men. Since that time, many black men have chosen to shave their heads. It is not always an easy task for some to pull off this look but those who can make it pull it off easily.