Kerry “Krucial” Brothers. The name does not automatically ring a bell, such as, say, Alicia Keys, does it? Up until now, Brothers was fine with his position in the game as a lesser-known producer behind a phenomenal artist such as Keys. But as he has grown artistically and has seen various projects develop into fruitful gems, the result is that his box has become too small and he is ready to branch out.

His experience in the music world dates back to his days as an aspiring emcee, where he could be found everywhere from the Nuyorican Poets Café with the infamous Bobbito, or at the notorious Lyricist Lounge with a host of other soon-to-be famous artists, to the street corner ciphers of Brooklyn, Harlem, or the home of his adolescence, Far Rockaway, Queens.

However, Kerry “Krucial” Brothers is more than just another rapper with dreams of being the next big hit in the hip hop world. His acclaim thus far has not been for his verbal skills, but rather for his strengths as a producer. As the man behind much of Alicia Keys’ discography, including her huge debut, Songs In A Minor, Krucial knows exactly what it takes to achieve the goal of selling as many records as Keys’ first record, which has exceeded 17 million thus far. He has also produced songs for the likes of Nas, Usher, Christina Milian, Keyshia Cole, Eve, Mario, and is currently servicing the legendary emcee, Rakim.

Brothers is also co-CEO of Krucial Keys Enterprise along with partner, Alicia Keys. In reference to Krucial Keys Enterprise, Brothers told us that “Krucial Keys is bringing forth a whole movement. And, every movement has to have its own soundtrack.”

Between his work with the songstress, Keys, or time well spent on the forthcoming Rakim album, which he states he is “very excited about that!”, or currently beginning to push his own EP as an emcee, one thing is certain: Kerry “Krucial” Brothers may not be in the limelight just yet, but his impacts in the music world are surely not to be overlooked.