Kerry Brothers

Kerry Brothers Jr. (born October 1, 1970), also known as "Krucial", is an American record producer, songwriter and hip hop artist. Brothers was born in Brooklyn and grew up in Harlem and Far Rockaway, Queens. Brothers and singer-songwriter Alicia Keys began a musical partnership in the late 1990s, co-writing and co-producing together a number of songs from her first four albums. Brothers and Keys co-own a production company, KrucialKeys, based in New York. Brothers has also worked with other R&B and hip hop artists including Mario, Rakim, Angie Stone, Nas, Keyshia Cole, Goapele, Drake and K'naan. Brothers co-wrote songs that appeared on the soundtracks of the films Dr. Dolittle, Shaft, and Ali. He received two Grammy Awards from his collaborative work with Keys: Best R&B Album (Songs in A Minor) and Best R&B Song ("No One").