You need to run the numbers to see what makes sense mathematically. As others pointed out there may be other implications like tax advantages and employment matching programs. In general though you should pay off any debt higher than (realistic) expected returns first.

Weird but, probably not. This is especially true if

1. there’s an employer match to consider
2. the retirement vehicle type is exempted from civil and/or legal disputes
3. the class of debt can be discharged via bankruptcy
4. you expect inflation to continually chip away at remaining debt principal
5. you expect markets to perform on average as they have historically
6. your contributions can lower your tax burden now or later

Among other things