U.S rapper Nelly has revealed an unusual source of inspiration for his recent comeback with single, 'Just A Dream'. 

He has explained that Mariah Carey's music career has been a revelation to him as the way she deals with negativity from the press never seems to deter her spirit or drive to continue releasing records.

The 'Hot In Herre' hit maker said:

"Look at Mariah Carey. She has a little break. People look at it like it’s over. They have to throw dirt on her,” 

“Then all of a sudden, she’s the biggest thing to hit the stage again. Even bigger."

“You see what I’m saying, and I think that happens. So when you look at it like that, you’ve got to apply yourself.”

He also added:

"I feel like, if people want to count me out — which I don’t know how you would count a guy out with 30 million records sold — then OK, I’m going to use it to my advantage."

The star also recently tweeted the title of his new single, which will be a collaboration with Kelly Rowland, as 'Gone'.

His most recent release, 'Just A Dream', made the U.S Billboard chart's top 5 and peaked at number 8 in the UK, and you can watch the video for the song here: