Kanye’s Hair Parents: A History of the Black Mullet
Our man Yeezy is catching it from all sides recently thanks to his latest foray into retro sensibility. Ironic? Maybe. But as much as homie thinks about what people think of him, trust that he’s got a ready explanation for the dead animal he’s rocking on the back of his neck.
And while some people are claiming he bit it from a dude named Tum Tum (seriously? Tum Tum?), and others may point out that tiny R&B sensation Bobby Valflagrino Valentino is rocking one in his latest video, Kanye is really just the latest in a long line of mulleteers, those brave and hardy souls who proudly rocked a shag through good times and bad. (Yes, it’s called a shag, white people, and it’s been around for decades.)
We can’t truthfully say we love the 80(8)s, but at least take a trip back in time before you start calling Kanye a Tum Tum biter. Uh, pause…
LIONEL RITCHIE
Hello? Is it a shape-up you’re looking for?
BILLY OCEAN
Not only could he wear the shit out of a shoulder-padded linen suit, he could rock the neck meat like no one else.
AARON NEVILLE
Homie, just because we’re all distracted by that Kuato on your face doesn’t mean you can do shit like that, 1990 or no 1990.
JERMAINE JACKSON
Fun Fact: Jermajesty’s dad here actually named his mullet: Jermutherfuckingkidding.
AC GREEN
Even the original 40 Year Old Virgin needs birth control, right?
WALTER PAYTON
“My name is Sweetness and I like to dance/You think this hair is bad, you should look in my pants.”
ROMYE/BOOTIE BROWN FROM THE PHARCYDE
Well, in his younger days, at least.
60% OF NEW EDITION
Ronnie, Bobby and Ricky were actually the original members of BBD (Bad Black Decisions).
DR. DRE AND LONZO FROM THE WORLD CLASS WRECKIN’ CRU
“Still rock my khakis with a cuff and a crease, still got love for hair grease, reppin 213…”
THEO HUXTABLE AND COCKROACH
Real talk, Denise rocked one too, but she was mad fuxtable.
ALFONSO RIBEIRO
Despite the fact that you’ve already seen this, it remains the Pepsi Kid’s greatest moment.
BARRY WHITE
This was his “Nick Ashford, but with many serious health problems” phase.
EDDIE MURPHY
At 1995, perhaps the last mullet in captivity. This is the closest the African-American community has ever come to Billy Ray Cyrus. Well, until Miley goes to college.
MILES DAVIS
Genius, yes. Owner of a mirror, no.
Marcus Troy January 21, 2009 at 4:44 pm
Amazing! Nice digging guys.
DeShawn Stevenson January 21, 2009 at 5:34 pm
is aaron neville posing with marc-paul gosselar’s meth’ed out brother?
acplus3 January 21, 2009 at 6:23 pm
I can’t front, I was sporting a shag with my suede Puma’s and phat laces back in the day, when break dancing was still dancing with the beat and hip hop was about not biting (copying) the next mans style unless you where putting out a Roxanne album.
Kanye still has a little work to do on the back for it to be an authentic shag, its got to have like a row of hair at the back of your neck a la the bobby brown photo from above. As for me, I can’t fade it or should I say, I would fade it, I don’t know.
marvin berry January 21, 2009 at 6:49 pm
no need to educate white people on the term “shag”, it is the ultimate bro haircut and is thriving in white society.
bigwill January 21, 2009 at 8:01 pm
But still…
Tum Tum’s mullet > Kanye’s mullet.
Veezy January 21, 2009 at 8:59 pm
all this shit before my time
Paco January 22, 2009 at 1:13 am
Word. It’s nice to see at least TWO muhfuggas commenting here knows the difference between a mullet and a SHAG.
jenkinz January 22, 2009 at 3:17 am
dont forget babyface’s mullet when he was with the deal: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUvaBLHnRRk
Ken Echelon January 22, 2009 at 3:24 am
Ye, you’re still dope my nigga! Just mean you doing something right! Tum-Tum, damn, that one Caprice joint was knockin’
http://www.myspace.com/kenechelonmusic
Mamacita January 22, 2009 at 4:00 am
Liked Ozonemag’s bit better.
BIG FRED January 22, 2009 at 10:21 am
lol @ theo huxtable & cockroach! next ye gonna be rockin gordon gartrell shirts! shout to denise huxtable!
itsme January 22, 2009 at 11:16 am
theo huxtable… hahahahaaaa….
steely January 22, 2009 at 12:20 pm
but denise was mad “fuxtable”? ahahahahahaha…
Kiddrae254.com/wordpress January 22, 2009 at 1:06 pm
Kids will be rockin’ tha’ Kanye by March. Guaranteed.
Mook January 22, 2009 at 6:54 pm
Note to Kanye: WTF are u thinking???
creepstreet January 22, 2009 at 8:06 pm
cough* retro kidz.
zyr12 January 22, 2009 at 8:20 pm
lmao
thanks
STEVIE B January 23, 2009 at 2:20 am
HEY MAN! KANYE COPIED ME!
DON’T BELIEVE ME!?
HERE GOES A PIC!
http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B00003WG0J.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg
-STEVIE B
Anthony Gobot January 23, 2009 at 8:41 am
Damn this kat just cant not be loud…
Stevie B's lady January 23, 2009 at 7:28 pm
yeah! What about Stevie B? He had a killer ‘mullet’!
Interstate P January 24, 2009 at 1:44 am
LMFAO..I actually had to call my man after I read the caption under Lionel Ritchie’s pic. Ya’ll OD’d with that one. That’s wild funny…
Dreski January 24, 2009 at 4:37 pm
this is fucking awesome. lol
lionel ritchie was the first person I thought of when I saw Kanye’s “shag”.
what would we do without blogs?
RM January 25, 2009 at 9:21 am
WHERE’S FULL FORCE??????!!!!!!!
DaReal80'sBaby January 26, 2009 at 3:26 pm
Why is everyone calling this the black mullet. This haircut is actually called the shag haircut and as you can see was the ish in the 80’s.
Bossman816 February 9, 2009 at 3:50 pm
Dareal80sbaby is on it.. white boys call it a shag.. but if u was born in the 80s… u will remember ya uncles and pops and their favorite groups were rocking shags..
U goto ya favorite barbershop now..and still see poster with different styles and i guarantee u will see a shag… boys been rockin shags in Dallas Texas the 60s up til now, Go look up tum tum or do a search usin the zip code 75216 age range 18-29 bet u will see over half the dudes in dallas rocking one..
Kanye’s didnt bite tum tum..he jus took it back to the style boys still rock til this day
Mardi Graz February 9, 2009 at 11:35 pm
First person I thought of was Herbie Hancock! Nigga look like a 80’s prom date! 09 Billy Ocean! LOL And Barry ain’t have a mullet Barry was rockin the perm Eddie in vampire in BK too! LOL But yeah this needed to be done! Shag = Black Mullet!