While we didn't lose any huge stars this week, most people did lose a chunk of their lives and a little dignity in the process of keeping up with Kanye West's ridiculousness. 

After all the Twitter hype surrounding the release of The Life of Pablo, Yeezy's apparently over $50 million in debt and somehow managed to "leak" tons of unreleased content featuring artists from across the spectrum including Kendrick Lamar, Bon Iver, and Paul McCartney. 

Lost in the shuffle (not hard because the pilot was two hours long) was HBO's new rock-u-drama, Vinyl, which premiered last Sunday to mostly positive reviews. 

Besides the fact that the series portrays a seedy side of the music industry in the 1970s, combining all the misogyny of Mad Men with all the glamor of Boogie Nights, Vinyl appears to be a hit.

Many people across the web lit up with intrigue at the sight of  Co-Executive Producer and Rolling Stones singer/rockstar icon Mick Jagger's son, James Jagger fronting the fictional group, The Nasty Bitz, so we've got them in mind this weekend for sure. 

In hip-hop news, ultimate GOAT Rakim announced that he'll be performing his classic album Paid in Full at BB King's on July 13th, but you can also catch him sitting in with The Soul Rebels at the Brooklyn Bowl on February 27th. 

We also have videos from dark alt rock act The Black Atlas and R&B/Dance outfit Majid Jordan. Check it out, turn it up. It's what we're listening to this weekend...

1. Eric B & Rakim - "Paid in Full"

"This is a journey into sound..." is a sample that immediately triggers excitement. It lets everyone know that Eric B & Rakim's 1987 monster hit "Paid in Full" is about to take off. Since '87, Rakim's kept going and stayed at the top of everyone's list of most respected rappers.

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It's one of the perks of living in New York City, enjoying the ambiance of hip hop all around you. But even better is being privy to performances by legendary artists like Rakim. He'll be guesting at the end of the month at Brooklyn Bowl before playing the Paid in Full album from top to bottom at BB King's.

Advance tickets for Rakim's appearance with Soul Rebels are nowhere to be found, even on second-hand ticket services. There will be limited admission at the door. However there are some $85 tickets to Rakim's BB King's show in April left. Grab them here before they're gone!

2. The Nasty Bitz - "Rotten Apple"

Just to be clear, this song isn't meant to be the clearest, most pristine thing ever produced. It's supposed to be gritty. It's supposed to be a track from a 1973 demo by some punks in NYC who think it's more like New York Sh*tty. 

In the series premiere, The Nasty Bitz play a show that erupts into chaos because everyone hates them. Under the guidance of a record label employee trying to manage a promotion, the band is advised to suck less, and be better at music. 

We can agree. But damn, doesn't it sound like every other punk demo in history?

3. Kanye West - Unreleased Content

Click over to Reddit for download links

Just afterThe Life of Pablo was released, Kanye's vault of absurdity, auto-tune and self adoration cracked open to "leak" tons of unreleased content featuring collaborations.

There are tracks with everyone from Paul freakin' McCartney to Kendrick Lamar. But instead of simply rejoicing at more Kanye, let's ask the question: why?

Isn't it a little fishy that Kanye's doing all he can to make himself the center of attention for publicity, and suddenly another album's worth of material just... materializes? Coincidence? We think not.

Despite the fact that the songs aren't immediately available on any discovery platforms like Spotify or even Tidal, they're worth tracking down. Click the above link to head over to where you can grab the tracks. 

4. The Black Atlas - "Moonsong"

The Black Atlas (not to be confused with Black Atlass, yes with two s's) is pretty damned interesting. 

They have a similar fluidity to A Perfect Circle in that they can seamlessly slink from smooth but slightly jaded ambience to hellacious noise that's all reigned in by some disturbing, self revelatory emotion.

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Above is the "Moonsong" video from last November that's circulating around YouTube in support of The Black Atlas' third EP in the series, called Equinox. You can check them out in the City on April 22nd at Saint Vitus in Brooklyn. Get your tickets here. 

5. Majid Jordan - "Learn From Each Other"

Let's not forget about the latest from Toronto-based label OVO Sound, co-founded by Drake, Noah "40" Shebib, and Oliver El Khatib, the duo known as Majid Jordan.

Comprised of Jordan Ullman and Majid Al Maskati, Majid Jordan creates hip hop oriented dance beats with a twist of tangy R&B. Check out their video above for "Learn From Each Other" and check them out in the City on March 26th at Music Hall of Williamsburg. You can grab tickets here.

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