Menthol cigarettes was on market since 1927 when Axton-Fisher Tobacco Company start making them under "Spud Menthol Cooled Cigarettes" brand which later was shortened to "Spud". While "Spud" brand in early 1930s become 5th most popular cigarette brand in USA their ads promote menthol taste as "clean-tasting" and perfect for occasional smokers who doesn't like traditional tobacco taste, other menthol cigarette brand, "Kool" promote their smokes as "refreshing and cool for throat" like on this ad from 1936. But menthol ads wasn't aimed at different races up to late 1950s.

In USA menthol cigarettes become aimed at minorities somewhere around late 1950s and early 1960s when tobacco companies was hit by"Cancer Scare" (increasing cancer cases which happened in 1940s and 1950s in USA) among major cigarettes consumer group, affluent middle-class when Federal Trade Comission and indenpendent research prove connection between smoking and cancer, other problems with menthol marketing start when Surgeon General order companies to put warning labels on cigarettes packs and ads after health risk raport in 1964. In mid 1960s "peak smoking" happened in USA according to NCBI data.

So, if people smoke less every year, so why blacks smoke so much menthols? By this time happened at least couple important things among black population.

First, around WWII and later blacks start mass emigration to urban areas which leads to increased earning and easy access to ads. Other point was Civil Right Movement and slowly end segregation era, general public become more open for "minority-only" marketing and general increasing number cultural events for blacks like concerts leads to higher demand for funding it. So tobacco companies cash out whole thing by extensive ads campaign aimed toward black population like in this "Kool" cigarette ad from 1966 or "Newport" cigarette ad from 1979, menthol brands was also funding extensive cultural events like Newport Jazz Festival since 1954 which of course was funded by Newport cigarettes brand in Newport, Rhode Island or Kool Jazz Festival funded by "Kool".

Tobacco companies also contributors for various civil rights organizations and openly support desegregation efforts within their companies and fund education for black, like Reynolds Tobacco Company who fund Winston-Salem State University, a black college since early 1890s.

Finally, while by 1960s and 1970s tobacco consumption drop overall, the decline in consumption was not equal among the different consumer groups. Smoking rate decrease sharply among upper social stratas and high-earners, but among lower middle and poor class it was still popular prior to 1990s, where "Uptown" menthol cigarette brand (a brand especially aimed at urban black communities) failure and public outcry (here "Time" article about this brand) become a breaking point over minority-target tobacco ads and products.

As effects, menthols become deeply associated with american black community by 1970s and later. While tobacco consumption rates among poor and black decrease over the years social and medical associations like kids with smoking parents are more likely to smoke and menthols due to their taste softness are popular amon youth with smoking are still strong in this particular groups.