Top Ten Musician Restaurant Franchises (In Honor of Flavor Flav's New Fried Chicken Joint in Iowa--Yes, Iowa)

Former (is it former?) Public Enemy hypeman and current human cartoon Flavor Flav is opening a fried chicken restaurant in a tiny Iowa town with a population of 26,000. The very notion of Flav's golden grill chomping into some crispy eats thereby generating billions of fried chicken shards that rain down upon his oversized neck clock has gotten the blogs a-buzzin. But Flav's not the only musician--or whatever he is--who got bitten by the entrepreneurial bug. Here's the Top Ten Musician-Owned-and-Operated Restaurants (alright Musician-Branded is more like it) for your viewing pleasure.

Flav talks about his business model:

10. Fatburger - Kanye West/ Queen Latifah

Fatburger has burgers that get you fat. It's not just a clever name. It's a reality. With thick greasy burgers and even a burg with a fried egg on top, Fatburgers will fatify your ass in .5 seconds flat. And yes, they are totally delicious. Apparently this sentiment is shared by both Queen Latifah and Kanye West who have snatched up a few Fatburger franchises, adding the fast food chain to their many conquests in and out of the music industry. Unfortunately, one of West's two Fatburgers was shuttered recently, but his other Chicago store is reportedly still poppin'.

9. Buffalo Boss - Jay - Z

Jay-Z's fortune has extended across industries, from the 40/40 club to the New Jersey Nets to the Spotted Pig gastropub in the West Village. But earlier this month HOVA put his money into a small business. Jay-z dropped some cash to support his cousin's chicken shack. The Brooklyn wings joint, Buffalo Boss, claims to have "organic chicken, no hormones, no transfat, no bull! Just Buffalo!"

8. Gladys Knight and Ron Williams' Chicken and Waffles

Here in Los Angeles, Roscoes' has a ironclad grip on the chicken and waffles market. But in Atlanta, R&B icon Gladys Knight and gospel signer Ron Winans have ventured into the soul food market. With dishes like Sassy BBQ Turkey Wings, Big B's Beef Sausage, and the Midnight train, the Hotlanta venue serves up soulful comfort food.

7. Southern Hospitality - Justin Timberlake

New York City isn't known for its fine Southern food and Justin Timberlake has a reputation for bringing sexy back, not baby back ribs. He sought out to change that with his restaurant Southern Hospitality. Taking a cue from his own Southern roots, Timberlake teamed up with restauranteur Eytan Sugarman for the Manhattan BBQ outpost. Crawfish hushpuppies, Memphis-style dry rubbed spareribs, and peach crisp with vanilla ice cream make Timberlake's cut.

6. Justin's

If Sean "P.Diddy" Combs has a chance to slap his name on something he'll do it. He's the king of endorsements and business partnerships. Yet, with Justin's, his NYC and Atlanta's restaurants, Combs says the effort is a family affair. Named after Puffy's son Justin, not Mr. Timberlake, and reportedly inspired by his grandmother's cooking, Justin's serves up blackened stuffed catfish, West Indian curry chicken, and a cocktail embarrassingly named the "Pussy Kat Relaxer."