Being a younger brother is not easy, especially when you have to compete with a successful older sibling. It is natural to assume, then, that Kid Vishis, younger brother of Eminem-endorsed Royce Da 5'9”, would want to make a name for himself. ‘Timing Is Everything’ is not a juvenile cry for attention though, rather a declaration of intent.
It is immediately apparent that Vishis has been doing this for a while, so comfortable is he within his surroundings. Double time flows, frequent simile use and a minimalist rhyming style give the impression that he's spitting with minimal effort. Of course, this also has its downsides.
His messages become distorted when surrounded by clichéd hooks - see Beautiful Day - and forced wordplay. On Tie, he opines: “I rhyme like I'm humping on your mother's spine, that mean I'm fucking back.”
Often resorting to puerile imagery, it's fair to say that Vishis is more a punchline rapper than a storyteller. He does address his sibling briefly on the track Big Brothers, but often his lyrics are keen to point out that he already has status.
This might come across as shallow, but to be fair, he also carries this 37 minute collection with only one feature from Royce, on Coward. The beats play a part too, boasting grandiose synths without falling into the trap of... well, bad trap production. Nothing here is nearly as obnoxious as similar projects from Young Jeezy or Future.
'Timing Is Everything' is a celebration, certainly, but one that keeps the party on the down low. Vishis is happy in his own skin, a rapper that doesn't attempt to throw caution to the wind but still shows enough dexterity to match his producers' ambitions.
Frequently composed, there isn't a sense that Vishis is trying to outdo his older brother, even on the feature track. Perhaps Kendrick Lamar is right, maybe today's emcees really are too nice to their rivals. But maybe, in this case at least, there is nothing wrong with that.
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