Kanye: 'I'm the voice of a generation'

Kanye West has claimed that he will be remembered as "the voice of this generation".

The hip-hop star said he had stepped up his game, when artists such as Justin Timberlake had disappeared from the music scene.

He told the Associated Press: "I realise that my place and position in history is that I will go down as the voice of this generation, of this decade. I will be the loudest voice."

West releases his fourth studio album, 808s And Heartbreak, later this month.

"It's me settling into that position of just really accepting that it's one thing to say you want to do it and it's another thing to really end up being like Michael Jordan," he said.

"There were people who had the potential to do it but they went on vacation, so when Justin went on vacation I made albums."