Who was Posta Boy? Health struggles explored as rapper of 106 & Park fame passes away

Harlem rapper Sherard Dixon, better known as Posta Boy, passed away at 44 on Sunday, October 26. Bronx musician Mickey Factz posted a "Rest in Peace" message for the rapper on X on October 27, confirming his passing. Although an official cause of death has not yet been disclosed, upon an X user's query, Mickey wrote:

"Battled cancer for awhile. Not sure if thats the reason. But condolences either way"

According to IMDB, Sherard was born in Manhattan, NYC, on September 11, 1981.

Sherard's breakthrough as a hip-hop artist was on BET Media Group's music video show, 106 & Park. He used to participate in the Freestyle Friday segment of the show. It featured rap face-offs between two aspiring rappers. Per IMDB, the late artist appeared on the show a total of nine times.

In an interview with AllHipHop published on April 12, 2006, Sherard revealed he was on an eight-week winning streak on Freestyle Friday. Sherard's remarkable performances and artistry also made him the very first inductee in the segment's Hall of Fame.

I remember watching your run on Freestyle Fridays, for several weeks in a row on BET. After school, 6PM. Thank you for your contribution and legacy. Posta Boy 🙏🏾🕊️ pic.twitter.com/wg8xzcfOdu

— ProlificKid (@ProlificKid) October 27, 2025

According to AllHipHop, rap group Zhigge's former member Kamal Blake used to manage Sherard Dixon before he came to be known as Posta Boy. The rapper also released a few mixtapes in 2006: State of Emergency and Real Recognize Real. At the time, he was preparing to drop Live From The Emergency Room, his first full-length album.

During his 2006 AllHipHop interview, Sherard Dixon gave a shoutout to DJ KaySlay for their collaboration on the latter's mixtape Street Renegades. He was initially signed with Universal/Fo' Reel, but left the record label over his agent's lack of effort in helping him land better platforms and opportunities.

Posta Boy fought cancer twice before his untimely death at 44

In a 2006 conversation with AllHipHop, Posta Boy opened up about his cancer battle. He revealed he was almost on the verge of death in 2004 following his testicular cancer diagnosis, adding:

"I dropped to 130 pounds and they put 42 staples in my chest, 21 staples in my hip, 14 staples under those 21, and like 11 stitches under the 42 staples! I'm talking bald-head, no eyebrows, no mustache, and two complexions darker due to the five months of chemotherapy."

The rapper continued:

"During that time, everything was about praying and wondering how I'm going to beat this situation because my girl was pregnant with my son at the time. I was going through a lot."

Speaking about the early signs of his cancer, Sherard Dixon said he started feeling sleepy and had a "funny" appetite while he was touring and performing at multiple shows. He added:

"I was thinking, "Damn P, you're doing too much." But the reality was that while I was looking good on the outside, I had cancer."

Posta Boy said he sought medical help after spotting a swelling in his testicular area, where they ran a few tests on him. The rapper said he was initially told he only had six months of lifespan at the time.

Subsequently, the rapper underwent two surgeries to get rid of the cancer. One of his testicles was removed. After that, Sherard was under chemotherapy for five months.

Posta Boy shared that the cancer had spread to his kidney area, the mass of which had to be shrunk down to make surgery easier. He added:

"That surgery ended up lasting 11-and-a-half hours because the cancer had wrapped around my liver and other vital organs. I literally almost died during the seventh hour of that surgery, but they were able to successfully remove that kidney."

The rapper called cancer "the number one killer", adding it was almost as fatal as AIDS.

In a short clip posted by LongMoneyEntTv on YouTube in May 2011, Posta Boy shared his "testimony" for the American Cancer Society. The rapper introduced himself as a two-time cancer survivor.

Sherard revealed he was diagnosed with teratoma cancer in 2018, for which he had to undergo a "life-threatening" surgery that lasted for 7 hours.

While speaking about his cancer, Posta Boy revealed his older brother died in the 9/11 attack at the World Trade Center. The rapper explained that while he was in surgery for his teratoma cancer, he felt his late brother was watching over him. 

It remains unknown whether Posta Boy's death was caused by his teratoma cancer.