The Mirror is the second mixtape by rapper Ja Rule, originally planned to be released as his seventh album in 2007.

The Inc. CEO Irv Gotti was accused of laundering money for drug dealer Kenneth McGriff, but in December 2005 a jury found him not guilty.

[3] Jayson Rodriguez of MTV News asserted that Gotti's trial and other events, including a rivalry with 50 Cent, prompted Ja Rule "to take a much needed moment to get his thoughts together".

In an interview with SOHH, Ja Rule commented on the album: "The whole industry is so focused on beefin' with each other — it's like the WWE of rap right now.

[7] Addressing the leak of tracks from his original version of The Mirror, Ja Rule announced in a 2009 interview with HipHopDX that he would record an entirely new album.

"[9] "Hollywood" dropped in late April; Micaela Hood of the Miami Herald called it "an ode to some of his favorite peeps like Oprah and President Obama".