Lana Del Rey’s Dad, Rob Grant, Loves Being a Nepo Daddy

Her presence is a slight surprise. A few days beforehand, Grant mentioned that his daughter might want to join. By the time we set sail, Lana, who flew in from LA to support her dad, is blasting Kodak Black on the speakers to set the mood. Later, she’ll step in to help stage daughter her father during the photo shoot, advising him on how to best angle his face. (“Maybe don’t smile, Dad.”) 

With all the cultural discussion around the prevalence of nepo babies—children of celebrities who have a leg up, especially in the arts—Grant occupies a unique, singular role. He may be the world’s first, and perhaps only, nepo daddy. Papa Del Rey. And, hey, he’ll take it. 

“The nepo daddy thing I love,” he says, having first encountered the concept in his Instagram comments. “I thought, My God, this would make really cool merch.”

“I mean, at that point, he was on his own, obviously,” Lana says with a laugh. 

“I’m happy to be the first nepo daddy,” Grant says. 

Lana points out that he’s not technically the first nepo daddy, what with Mitch Winehouse trying to make it as a jazz musician after daughter Amy’s untimely death. 

“Well see, back then, during Mitch’s time they didn’t have nepo babies. It’s only because of the whole nepo baby thing. Who wrote that story?” Grant asks. 

“Someone without a brain…” Lana says, taking a puff of her cherry red vape. “It’s just another way to rile simple folks up.”

As we make our way up the river, the silver skyscrapers on shore give way to dense, peaceful woodlands. An immaculate American flag flown from the boat’s stern snaps and sways in the breeze. It’s enough to make anyone a big boat guy.

“Nobody wants to give anyone any credit for doing anything,” Grant adds. “God forbid that you actually have talent. People don’t want to acknowledge that. They will find a way to undermine you and to really make you feel bad about yourself. So the nepo daddy thing, I love that. Hell, I’ll sell you hats, T-shirts, canvas bags, you name it.”