Female hip-hop pioneer, Grammy nominee, and philanthropist MC Lyte will be presented with the ‘I Am Hip Hop’ Award at the 2013 BET Hip Hop Awards on September 28 at the Boisfeuillet Jones Atlanta Civic Center, according to Billboard.com. The ‘I Am Hip Hop’ recipient not only highlights musical achievement, it also recognizes the honoree’s contributions to the community as well.

MC Lyte is the founder of the Hip Hop Sisters Foundation, which awards a full scholarship to an admirable four-year college student. In addition, she also established the Hip Hop Sisters Network which acts as a platform for up and coming female artists to display their talents.

The “Lyte As A Rock” femcee joins an elite class of ‘I Am Hip Hop’ honorees such as Salt-N-Pepa, Rakim, Russell Simmons, and Grandmaster Flash.

We’ll be able to catch Lyte, along with Lil Mama, Monie Love, Yo Yo, Smooth, and The Lady of Rage on the upcoming BET reality show, “Hip Hop Sisters” coming soon. In the meantime, catch the 2013 BET Hip Hop Awards on October 15 at 8:00 p.m. ET.

Congrats, MC Lyte from KarenCivil.com! [Shouts to Billboard.com]