The word Amandla holds significance in various Nguni languages, including Zulu and Xhosa, where it translates to "power."

It is the third collaboration between Miles Davis and producer/bassist Marcus Miller, following their previous works Tutu (1986) and Music from Siesta (1987), and it serves as their final album together.

The album mixes elements of the genres go-go, zouk, funk and jazz, combining electronic instruments with live musicians.

In a contemporary review, DownBeat said Amandla possessed "a precise and consistent sound that flows through the shifting instrumental combinations and lingers after the music has stopped".

[2] In The Rolling Stone Album Guide (2004), J. D. Considine felt the record sounded "vaguely African" and somewhat conservative because of its reliance on session musicians.