Pharrell Williams has revealed that he initially wanted to be as big as Jay Z - something which he later realised will probably never come to fruition.

The US hip-hop man released his debut solo album 'In My Mind' in 2006 and he told the Guardian that he wanted to emulate rappers like Jay Z and Snoop Dogg with the record.

Referring to trying to rival the likes of Jay Z, Williams said: "It was in my mind, but not in my heart. It was this caricature that I'd built in my mind, that fitted in with what Snoop and Jay were doing. Some of the things I said on that record, all the bragging, it's not necessary. It doesn't say anything about you, apart from how shallow you are.

"[I thought I was] this competitive guy in the music industry, who admired my peers and felt he needed to compete with the races that they designed. But in life you're meant to race against yourself."

The 'Happy' man, who is currently No.1 in the UK with his new album 'G I R L', added:

"Jay was never going to race with any of us. That was just my delusion. Because his career runs laps around people. And he runs laps around people, lyrically. He's a philosopher and a poet."

Watch Pharrell in action below: