Flavor Flav Supports Lil Wayne's Auto-Tune Use After Melle Mel Shade

Flavor Flav couldn't believe his ears when we told him what Melle Mel said about Lil Wayne ... but one thing's for sure, he has no problem with hearing artists using Auto-Tune!!!

TMZ Hip Hop caught the legendary Public Enemy rapper and his icy new clock Tuesday outside Il Pastaio in Bev Hills ... and he instantly became intrigued when he realized Melle was capping on Wayne.

Ultimately though, he disagreed with the notion Auto-Tune is a stain on the Young Money lyricist's career.

Flav says Auto-Tune is simply an instrument, no different than a horn or piano, but he drew the line when we asked if Public Enemy ever got their T-Pain on in the studio.

Flav also has a soft spot for Wayne's raps -- he still gets namedrops and shoutouts from Weezy from time to time!!!

Flav isn't the only Public Enemy member attempting to clarify Melle's dated delivery ... Chuck D recently compared the Furious Five rapper to NBA great Wilt Chamberlain ... who often gets omitted from conversations as the years go by.