Kerry Brothers Jr. (born October 1, 1970), also known as Krucial, is an American record producer, songwriter and rapper.

He has also worked with other R&B and hip hop acts, including Mario,[3] Rakim, Angie Stone, Nas, Keyshia Cole, Goapele, Drake and K'naan.

[4] Initially a teen rapper, Brothers signed with B-Boy Records as part of the group K-Bee and Ceil B.

During this time, he was a founding member of the collective "Melanin 2000", who visited Nuyoricans Poet Café and Lyricist Lounge downtown in Greenwich Village.

Later on, they performed at Washington Square Park, where he met Alicia Keys c. 1998, who, at the time, was part of an R&B ensemble.