Kanye West has never been one for modesty.

“I realize 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, 31, says in a new interview with the Associated Press.

“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 added.

The Grammy-Award winning rapper also slams Justin Timberlake, saying he missed his chance to be a music MVP.

“There were people who had the potential to do it but they went on vacation, so when Justin went on vacation I made albums,” West said. “And it just came out to be that.”

(Timberlake’s released his last album FutureSex/LoveSounds in 2006. West dropped a CD last year, and his newest disc, 808s and Heartbreak, hits stores Nov. 24.)

On a more sober note, West admitted he’s been struggling since the Nov. 2007 death of his mother, Donda.

“I’m just going through balancing that. And I always used to have that support system, you know,” he said. “My mom would be there; no matter what, she was there before everything.”

“We were together for like 30 years,” he added. And you know now when I’m on that stage and I look out and I say, ‘What am I going to do with the rest of my life?’ Like when does a real life start?’”

“Because I have sacrificed real life to be a celebrity and to give this art to people, which is great,” he said. “It is great that I was able to do that, I’m not trying to shun that in any way, but it’s definitely a Catch-22, and it’s bittersweet.”

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Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake each took the stage in separate appearances at Madonna’s Sticky & Sweet tour at L.A.’s Dodger Stadium Thursday night.

But, PEOPLE has learned, the two actually crossed paths during rehearsal. Timberlake was first, and then Spears came on stage to run through her part. “They said ‘hi’ to each other. Justin was very cool,” a source says.

Adds another source, “This was a night for [Britney] to enjoy, and not stress over. This was a good moment for her to just enjoy and have fun.”

And enjoy she did. Dressed in satin black pants and white suit shirt with ruffle, Spears has been appearing in a taped segment during Madonna’s “Human Nature” performance since the beginning of the tour. Her “It’s Britney, b—-!” segment she did live.

Madonna greeted her with “Hi Britney!” And Spears, with her blonde hair flowing and red lips smiling, moved to the beat as she sang the last chorus on “Human Nature” with Madonna.

“She’s not your b—-” Madonna proclaimed, pointing at Spears who replied with her classic line: “It’s Britney, b—-!”

Madonna had to swing her around three times to get her to loosen up a little bit and, in a far cry from the 2003 smooch, kisses Spears on the hand as her platform sunk below the stage.

“4 Minutes” came on and remixed into “Vogue” as Spears disappeared from view.

Timberlake then joined Madonna to belt out their duet “4 Minutes.” Dressed in black pants, a black jacket and scarf he and Madonna really went at it, playing off two dancers, dancing and grinding on each other. The crowd loved it.

“It was great!” a fan told PEOPLE at the show. “They really kept each other going up there. And, wow, only Madonna could bring the two exes together!”

At the close of the concert, a photo of President-elect Barack Obama flashed on the screens as Madonna announced, “We have something to celebrate! I’m the happiest girl on the planet right now.”

She continued: “Sorry to hear we didn’t win on Prop 8, but don’t give up the fight. If we can have an African American in the White House then when we can have gay marriages.”

Madonna, who split from director Guy Ritchie last month, will wrap up the North American leg of her tour Nov. 30 in Mexico City.

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Britney Spears and ex Justin Timberlake are reuniting.

The two are rumored to perform in L.A.’s Dodger Stadium tonight alongside Madonna on her Sticky & Sweet tour, reports Ryan Seacrest.

“They are going to be onstage performing with Madonna,” Seacrest said on KIIS-FM host DJ BoyToy Jesse’s Wednesday-afternoon show.

The exes have both collaborated individually with Madonna.Added Seacrest, “If Justin and Britney end up on that stage with her … I don’t know if I’ve ever seen anything quite like that before.”

In the mid-1990s, Timberlake dated Spears, his Mickey Mouse Club costar, but split in 2002 after he accused her of cheating on him. (He shot the video “Cry Me a River” in response to her affair.)

“I haven’t spoken to her in years,” he told Oprah Winfrey in 2007. “I mean, there’s no ill will – I have nothing but love for her.

“It’s funny because we dated each other at a time…,” he added. “Wow, I haven’t talked about this in a long time. It’s interesting.”

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Jessica Biel: model, actress…singer? Maybe so. On Oct. 9, the 7th Heaven veteran, 26, visited the Sunset Marquis’ Night Bird Studio to record tracks for a new movie.

“It’s going to be for a special DVD project,” an insider tells Life & Style. “The studio team said she has a great range and did a really good job.”

Jessica’s musical talent isn’t just something she picked up from boyfriend Justin Timberlake, 27. When she was a child growing up in Boulder, Colo., she trained as a vocalist and played roles in Annie, The Sound of Music and Beauty and the Beast.

As for Justin’s involvement in Jessica’s new career track, the insider says, “He hasn’t stopped by the studio with her yet, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he did soon.”

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Jessica Biel wasn’t scheduled to appear at a political event in Las Vegas on October 11, but her boyfriend, Justin Timberlake, requested that she take the stage at the Clark County Amphitheater with him.

“They were really cute together,” says an onlooker who watched the couple speak on behalf of candidate Barack Obama. “They played off each other and often finished each other’s sentences.”

It’s no wonder the couple are in perfect sync: Their friends are saying that they are headed for marriage. “I think they’re both very, very family-oriented people, so I definitely see them getting married pretty soon,” Justin’s former ’NSync bandmate Lance Bass tells In Touch.

Jessica and Justin recently visited Justin’s grandmother, Sadie Bomar, and she also believes they make a beautiful match. “They are very happy and right together,” she says. “Jessica is a sweet girl and they really enjoy each other’s company.” “They are very much one. They are very similar,” Justin’s best friend, Trace Ayala, tells In Touch, adding that the pair seem to be ready for a bigger commitment. “I mean, he’s happy! I’ve seen him with other women, so I can tell.”

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Justin Timberlake performed an off-the cuff riff, singing “Vote in a Box,” a spoof of his infamous raunchy Saturday Night Live Sketch, at a Las Vegas rally for Barack Obama on Saturday.

Girlfriend Jessica Biel was at Timberlake’s side.

“Me and Jess, we’re here as Americans. We’re here as humans because this is something we had to do,” Timberlake told the crowd at the Clark County Government Center amphitheater, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

He added, “We’ve never publicly endorsed before. But we’ve never been so inspired by one person.”

Noting that the next president’s Supreme Court appointments could determine the future of legal abortions, Biel told the crowd, “Nobody should be able to say what you can do with your body.”

Joked Timberlake, “I give Jess the right to choose where we go to eat all the time. The funny thing is, what the woman chooses is usually right.”

“Brownie points for you,” Biel kidded back.

Teased Timberlake, “I know where my bread is buttered.”